The official Hot Stove League Thread 2025-26 Offseason

[D-train]

https://www.mlb.com/news/ranking-the-fr ... -offseason

[Big_Maple]

AYep the Dodgers are just buying WS Titles. If there was a Cap they would be lucky to win 60 games.

Screenshot 2026-01-16 160902.png

The Dodgers' elite farm system is actually a product of their wealth because they can afford the best scouts, technology, and analysts to find and develop talent. This creates a massive safety net: if their young prospects fail, they can simply buy an elite veteran to replace them. Smaller teams don't have that "Plan B"—if their prospects don't work out, they're stuck losing for years because they can't afford to buy their way out of a mistake.

A salary cap levels all playing fields.

[D-train]

AYep the Dodgers are just buying WS Titles. If there was a Cap they would be lucky to win 60 games.

Screenshot 2026-01-16 160902.png

The Dodgers' elite farm system is actually a product of their wealth because they can afford the best scouts, technology, and analysts to find and develop talent. This creates a massive safety net: if their young prospects fail, they can simply buy an elite veteran to replace them. Smaller teams don't have that "Plan B"—if their prospects don't work out, they're stuck losing for years because they can't afford to buy their way out of a mistake.

A salary cap levels all playing fields.

Even if you have a $300M salary cap and a $100M floor you have the rich teams spending 3x more than the poor teams so what is the point. Certainly isn't worth losing a season over like all the freaks on X are begging for.

[D-train]

AYep the Dodgers are just buying WS Titles. If there was a Cap they would be lucky to win 60 games.

Screenshot 2026-01-16 160902.png

The Dodgers' elite farm system is actually a product of their wealth because they can afford the best scouts, technology, and analysts to find and develop talent. This creates a massive safety net: if their young prospects fail, they can simply buy an elite veteran to replace them. Smaller teams don't have that "Plan B"—if their prospects don't work out, they're stuck losing for years because they can't afford to buy their way out of a mistake.

A salary cap levels all playing fields.

The entire budget for scouts, technology is probably a few million dollars. Are we going to have a cap on that too. If an MLB team with hundreds of millions in revenues can't afford to pay for the best scouts they should sell the team. It is like 2-3% of player payroll..

[GL_Storm]

AYep the Dodgers are just buying WS Titles. If there was a Cap they would be lucky to win 60 games.

Screenshot 2026-01-16 160902.png

The Dodgers' elite farm system is actually a product of their wealth because they can afford the best scouts, technology, and analysts to find and develop talent. This creates a massive safety net: if their young prospects fail, they can simply buy an elite veteran to replace them. Smaller teams don't have that "Plan B"—if their prospects don't work out, they're stuck losing for years because they can't afford to buy their way out of a mistake.

A salary cap levels all playing fields.

The entire budget for scouts, technology is probably a few million dollars. Are we going to have a cap on that too. If and MLB team with hundreds of millions in revenues can't afford to pay for the best scouts they should sell the time. It is like 2-3% of player payroll..

I don't have the source for this, but I read something in the last year saying that the Rockies owner, Dick Monfort, wants MLB to put a cap on that type of spending.

[Big_Maple]

Even if you have a $300M salary cap and a $100M floor you have the rich teams spending 3x more than the poor teams so what is the point. Certainly isn't worth losing a season over like all the freaks on X are begging for.

I think you’re missing my point. I think that you’re thinking a 3x spending gap is the same as what we have now, when in reality, the current gap is closer to 5x or 6x larger.

In 2025, the Dodgers' total bill (salary plus taxes) topped $580 million, while teams like the Marlins and White Sox spent less than $95 million.

A $300M cap doesn't just lower the total number; it forces a team like the Dodgers to make painful talent choices—they could no longer just keep every homegrown star and sign every top free agent like Kyle Tucker, because they'd hit a hard wall that money can't fix.

Meanwhile, a $100M floor would finally stop "cheap" owners from pocketing revenue-sharing checks while putting an uncompetitive product on the field. Ultimately, losing a season is a high price, but it’s better than watching the sport slowly die as 20 teams become permanent "farm teams" for the other 10.

[D-train]

Even if you have a $300M salary cap and a $100M floor you have the rich teams spending 3x more than the poor teams so what is the point. Certainly isn't worth losing a season over like all the freaks on X are begging for.

I think you’re missing my point. I think that you’re thinking a 3x spending gap is the same as what we have now, when in reality, the current gap is closer to 5x or 6x larger.

In 2025, the Dodgers' total bill (salary plus taxes) topped $580 million, while teams like the Marlins and White Sox spent less than $95 million.

A $300M cap doesn't just lower the total number; it forces a team like the Dodgers to make painful talent choices—they could no longer just keep every homegrown star and sign every top free agent like Kyle Tucker, because they'd hit a hard wall that money can't fix.

Meanwhile, a $100M floor would finally stop "cheap" owners from pocketing revenue-sharing checks while putting an uncompetitive product on the field. Ultimately, losing a season is a high price, but it’s better than watching the sport slowly die as 20 teams become permanent "farm teams" for the other 10.

Sure you can do all that but you won't see a measurable impact in terms of the competitive landscape. The 7 bottom feeders are only a combined 109 million under a $100M floor or $20M less than Tucker will make in the next two seasons. I would be in favor of deferred money counting under the luxury tax.

[GL_Storm]

I think owners will push hard for a cap but may not be willing to go far enough to get it, and as a consequence we could wind up losing most or even all of the 2027 season.

[D-train]

I think owners will push hard for a cap but may not be willing to go far enough to get it, and as a consequence we could wind up losing most or even all of the 2027 season.

What is going far enough to get it??? 2 seasons? 3? 5???

[GL_Storm]

I think owners will push hard for a cap but may not be willing to go far enough to get it, and as a consequence we could wind up losing most or even all of the 2027 season.

What is going far enough to get it??? 2 seasons? 3? 5???

All the capped sports have agreements on percentage of revenue, which means owners will need to open their books. I suspect that alone will be a sticking point. Beyond that, what are they willing to give up? How about free agency after 4 years instead of 6? How about years of service time to a full pension? How about all members of the 40-man get the major league minimum?

I think some of the owners are naive and think they can just tell the players how it's going to be. But the MLB players association is the strongest player union in professional sports. If they want a cap, they'll have to make a serious offer to the players. Are they willing to do that?