Author: rincon

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred worries the owners’ salary cap proposal could lead to a work stoppage like the one that caused the cancellation of the 1994 World Series and says the plan is needed because management concluded that the luxury tax system in place since 2003 no longer is working.

Owners last week made their first cap proposal since 1994, when a 7 1/2-month strike caused the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. Manfred was a junior lawyer on the owners’ bargaining team in those negotiations.

Players have vowed to fight a cap as long as it takes. Asked whether he is concerned the events of 1994-95 will be repeated, Manfred responded: “Of course I do.”

“We’re open to whatever ideas people have, but we need a realistic framework that addresses the fans’ concerns about competitive balance and you just can’t ignore that financial penalties have not gotten it done for us,” he said Wednesday at a news conference during an owners’ meeting.

Baseball owners and players started the current luxury tax system for the 2003 season and in subsequent agreements have increased tax rates while adding surcharges.

“We have tried mightily over several rounds of bargaining to use a competitive balance tax to address competitive concerns and sometimes you got to admit you failed,” Manfred said.

More teams have been willing to exceed tax thresholds in recent years, with a record nine teams paying the penalty in both 2024 and 2025, when the Dodgers were hit with a $169.4 million bill. Total tax rose from $78.5 million in 2022 to $222.8 million the following year, $311.3 million in 2024 and $402.6 million last year.

“We never thought about the CBT as a revenue-generating device,” Manfred said. “And when you see more and more tax getting paid, you realize that it is not the kind of speed bump that would help on the issue of competitive balance.”

Baseball’s five-year collective bargaining agreement, agreed to in March 2022 after a 99-day lockout, expires on Dec. 1. Management is expected to impose a lockout, which would bring free-agent signings and trades to a halt.

Manfred wouldn’t publicly say whether management thought a stoppage would be worth the cost to obtain a cap.

“I’m not going to speculate about work stoppages,” he said. “I think that the proposal we’ve made is grounds for constructive dialogue and back and forth with the MLBPA about how we can address the number one concern of our fans and that is a lack of competitive balance in the game.”

MLB would limit spending in 2027 to $245.3 million, using figures for luxury tax payrolls that include $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool. It also would establish a payroll floor of $171.2 million, forcing some teams to spend more. The Dodgers had a $415.2 million payroll on opening day this year while the lowest payroll was Miami at $81.8 million.

“The players are smart people,” Manfred said. “I think they understand that payroll is a significant advantage for certain clubs and that high-payroll clubs win more than low-payroll clubs.”

No small-market team has won the World Series since the 2015 Kansas City Royals.

“Teams that go through periods, particularly longer periods, of non-competitiveness not only have lower revenues, but they are slower to recover once they become competitive,” Manfred said.

MLB proposed a 50-50 split with players of defined revenue and an escrow system in which portions of salaries would be withheld for payback to the league in the event the players’ share in a year is above 50%.

“If their proposal would have been in place in 2026 with current amateur entry figures, players would have lost more than half a billion dollars,” union head Bruce Meyer said in a statement.

Manfred said MLB has not made a proposal yet on players signing initial professional contracts.

Players asked for expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights, increasing luxury tax thresholds and almost doubling the major league minimum and increasing revenue sharing.

Baseball has had nine work stoppages since 1972, the last the 99-day lockout that slightly delayed the 2022 season.

The NFL has had a cap since 1994, the NBA since 1984-85 and the NHL since 2005-06.

Expansion

MLB won’t consider the possible addition of two teams until there is a new CBA. Among those expressing interest have been groups from Charlotte, North Carolina; Montreal; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City.

“We’ve made clear to all of the cities that have expressed an interest to say a post-labor topic,” Manfred said.

Olympics

Manfred hopes the union will agree to a decision on whether major leaguers will go to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics earlier than reaching a labor deal.

“It is my impression that they’re thinking about on a separate track,” he said. “I hope that’s the case because we can’t wait until we have a collective bargaining agreement to make a commitment on that one.”

Union head Bruce Meyer says a work stoppage that cancels regular-season games could disrupt Olympic plans.

Local broadcast media

MLB’s proposal would pool and evenly distribute local broadcast revenue, tied to agreement to a salary cap. MLB plans to negotiate new national broadcast contracts for the 2029 season.

“Certainly there are going to be more national games. It’s our number one priority in terms of reach going forward,” Manfred said. “How the inventory after those national games is monetized is going to depend on the market.”

With the decline of regional sports networks, MLB is producing and distributing local broadcasts of 14 teams this season. Local media revenue is “down significantly,” according to Manfred.

“Certainly the form of revenue sharing in the proposal was influenced by developments in the media market and where we think we need to be in order to extract the maximum revenue from the media environment as it exists today,” Manfred said. “You need more control over rights.”

Padres sale

Owners have yet to approve the proposed sale of the San Diego Padres from the Seidler family to an investor group led by Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano. The deal was announced on May 2. The sale has an enterprise value of a baseball-record $3.9 billion, with some investors remaining in the ownership group.

“Not ready for a vote today,” Manfred said. “It will probably be at some point this summer.”

Rays ballpark

Manfred is pleased with the Rays’ efforts to gain government approvals for a new ballpark in Tampa, near the spring training stadium of the New York Yankees.

“They need to get to definitive documents. My understanding is they’re on a mid-July-ish timeline on that,” he said. “We’re hopeful they get over the next hurdle.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will square off for the second time this season in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium from June 5-7. Game 2 of the series will be on Saturday night at 7:35 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

Of course, the pair of American League East foes make for the most historic rivalry in baseball and one of the best in the history of professional sports. From playoff showdowns to in-game brawls to superstars changing teams, the Yankees and Red Sox have an endless history with each other. Furthermore, a trio of FOX MLB Studio Analysts were once at the heart of that rivalry: Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez.

Here’s a historical look at the Yankees’ and Red Sox’ rivalry by the numbers.

2: Both teams have sported two different names, as the Boston Red Sox were the Boston Americans from 1901-07 before becoming the Red Sox, and the New York Yankees were the New York Highlanders from 1903-1912 before becoming the Yankees.

3A: The Yankees led the Red Sox 3-0 in the 2004 American League Championship Series. And then the unthinkable happened: The Red Sox won four games in a row, including two in extra innings, to advance. It marked the first time in MLB history that a team came back down 3-0 to win a series and the first time the Red Sox beat the Yankees in a playoff series. Just days later, Boston won the World Series for the first time since 1918. It stands as the only time a team has overcome a 3-0 series lead.

3B: After losing the first two series, the Red Sox won three consecutive postseason matchups against the Yankees (2004 ALCS, 2018 ALDS and 2021 AL wild-card game) before the latter defeated the former in the 2025 Wild Card Series.

3C: The Yankees and Red Sox went .500 against each other in the regular season for three consecutive seasons: 9-9 in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

5: Red Sox manager Alex Cora spent four seasons with his franchise as a player (2005-08), and Yankees manager Aaron Boone spent one season with his franchise as a player (2003); the two combined for five seasons as a player with their respective teams. However, had Boone not torn his ACL in the 2004 offseason, his stint with the Yankees may have lasted longer, as the franchise proceeded to acquire 2003 AL MVP Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers to play third base, Boone’s position. The Red Sox also had trade talks with the Rangers about trading for Rodriguez.

6: The two teams have faced each other six times in the postseason, with the Yankees winning the 1999 and 2003 ALCS and 2025 Wild Card Series and the Red Sox winning the 2004 ALCS, 2018 ALDS and 2021 AL wild-card game.

11: Speaking of Boone, the Yankees acquired the third baseman from the Cincinnati Reds during the 2003 season. In Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox, the Yankees mounted their own famous comeback – that would cost Boston manager Grady Little his job – and sent the game to extra innings. And on the first pitch of the bottom of the 11th inning, Boone launched a walk-off home run to left field, sending the Yankees to the World Series.

163: In 1978, 162 games couldn’t decide the AL East, so a Game 163 was required to determine whether the Yankees or Red Sox would claim the division. Trailing 2-0 in the top of the seventh inning, Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent hit a go-ahead three-run home run over the Green Monster in left field to put the Bronx Bombers ahead, and they later sealed the deal to win the AL East. While more runs would be scored by both teams, Dent’s homer remains the signature moment of Game 163 and earned Dent a forever nickname in New England: Bucky “F——” Dent. And two weeks later, the Yankees won the 1978 World Series.

251: Several superstars and Hall of Famers played for both the Yankees and Red Sox. For instance, Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens each spent a substantial chunk of their respective careers with the Red Sox. However, they later ended up with the Yankees and hoisting up the Commissioner’s Trophy in pinstripes (Boggs was on the Yankees’ 1996 World Series team and Clemens was on the Yankees’ 1999 and 2000 World Series teams), while Johnny Damon won a World Series with both clubs (Boston in 2004 and New York in 2009). Red Ruffing, Herb Pennock and Carl Mays are also among those to play for both franchises for a prolonged period, with 251 players total suiting up for both franchises.

500: Fascinatingly enough, prior to the 2025 Wild Card round matchup, of the first 24 playoff games the Yankees and Red Sox played against each other, the two teams were .500 (12-12).

1919: Of course, another individual to play for both teams was Babe Ruth, who the Red Sox traded to the Yankees in 1919 against the backdrop of financial issues. Ruth had already won three World Series with the Red Sox, but he then went on to win four more titles with the Yankees and became the best player to ever suit up for the franchise. In fact, Ruth is first in Yankees history with a 142.8 WAR, 659 home runs and a .349 batting average. Oof.

2,328: The two teams have faced off a combined 2,328 times (regular season plus postseason), with the Yankees entering the June 5-7 series with a 1,255-1,038-14 record in the all-time series.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred worries the owners’ salary cap proposal could lead to a work stoppage like the one that caused the cancellation of the 1994 World Series and says the plan is needed because management concluded that the luxury tax system in place since 2003 no longer is working.

Owners last week made their first cap proposal since 1994, when a 7 1/2-month strike caused the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. Manfred was a junior lawyer on the owners’ bargaining team in those negotiations.

Players have vowed to fight a cap as long as it takes. Asked whether he is concerned the events of 1994-95 will be repeated, Manfred responded: “Of course I do.”

“We’re open to whatever ideas people have, but we need a realistic framework that addresses the fans’ concerns about competitive balance and you just can’t ignore that financial penalties have not gotten it done for us,” he said Wednesday at a news conference during an owners’ meeting.

Baseball owners and players started the current luxury tax system for the 2003 season and in subsequent agreements have increased tax rates while adding surcharges.

“We have tried mightily over several rounds of bargaining to use a competitive balance tax to address competitive concerns and sometimes you got to admit you failed,” Manfred said.

More teams have been willing to exceed tax thresholds in recent years, with a record nine teams paying the penalty in both 2024 and 2025, when the Dodgers were hit with a $169.4 million bill. Total tax rose from $78.5 million in 2022 to $222.8 million the following year, $311.3 million in 2024 and $402.6 million last year.

“We never thought about the CBT as a revenue-generating device,” Manfred said. “And when you see more and more tax getting paid, you realize that it is not the kind of speed bump that would help on the issue of competitive balance.”

Baseball’s five-year collective bargaining agreement, agreed to in March 2022 after a 99-day lockout, expires on Dec. 1. Management is expected to impose a lockout, which would bring free-agent signings and trades to a halt.

Manfred wouldn’t publicly say whether management thought a stoppage would be worth the cost to obtain a cap.

“I’m not going to speculate about work stoppages,” he said. “I think that the proposal we’ve made is grounds for constructive dialogue and back and forth with the MLBPA about how we can address the number one concern of our fans and that is a lack of competitive balance in the game.”

MLB would limit spending in 2027 to $245.3 million, using figures for luxury tax payrolls that include $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool. It also would establish a payroll floor of $171.2 million, forcing some teams to spend more. The Dodgers had a $415.2 million payroll on opening day this year while the lowest payroll was Miami at $81.8 million.

“The players are smart people,” Manfred said. “I think they understand that payroll is a significant advantage for certain clubs and that high-payroll clubs win more than low-payroll clubs.”

No small-market team has won the World Series since the 2015 Kansas City Royals.

“Teams that go through periods, particularly longer periods, of non-competitiveness not only have lower revenues, but they are slower to recover once they become competitive,” Manfred said.

MLB proposed a 50-50 split with players of defined revenue and an escrow system in which portions of salaries would be withheld for payback to the league in the event the players’ share in a year is above 50%.

“If their proposal would have been in place in 2026 with current amateur entry figures, players would have lost more than half a billion dollars,” union head Bruce Meyer said in a statement.

Manfred said MLB has not made a proposal yet on players signing initial professional contracts.

Players asked for expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights, increasing luxury tax thresholds and almost doubling the major league minimum and increasing revenue sharing.

Baseball has had nine work stoppages since 1972, the last the 99-day lockout that slightly delayed the 2022 season.

The NFL has had a cap since 1994, the NBA since 1984-85 and the NHL since 2005-06.

Expansion

MLB won’t consider the possible addition of two teams until there is a new CBA. Among those expressing interest have been groups from Charlotte, North Carolina; Montreal; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City.

“We’ve made clear to all of the cities that have expressed an interest to say a post-labor topic,” Manfred said.

Olympics

Manfred hopes the union will agree to a decision on whether major leaguers will go to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics earlier than reaching a labor deal.

“It is my impression that they’re thinking about on a separate track,” he said. “I hope that’s the case because we can’t wait until we have a collective bargaining agreement to make a commitment on that one.”

Union head Bruce Meyer says a work stoppage that cancels regular-season games could disrupt Olympic plans.

Local broadcast media

MLB’s proposal would pool and evenly distribute local broadcast revenue, tied to agreement to a salary cap. MLB plans to negotiate new national broadcast contracts for the 2029 season.

“Certainly there are going to be more national games. It’s our number one priority in terms of reach going forward,” Manfred said. “How the inventory after those national games is monetized is going to depend on the market.”

With the decline of regional sports networks, MLB is producing and distributing local broadcasts of 14 teams this season. Local media revenue is “down significantly,” according to Manfred.

“Certainly the form of revenue sharing in the proposal was influenced by developments in the media market and where we think we need to be in order to extract the maximum revenue from the media environment as it exists today,” Manfred said. “You need more control over rights.”

Padres sale

Owners have yet to approve the proposed sale of the San Diego Padres from the Seidler family to an investor group led by Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano. The deal was announced on May 2. The sale has an enterprise value of a baseball-record $3.9 billion, with some investors remaining in the ownership group.

“Not ready for a vote today,” Manfred said. “It will probably be at some point this summer.”

Rays ballpark

Manfred is pleased with the Rays’ efforts to gain government approvals for a new ballpark in Tampa, near the spring training stadium of the New York Yankees.

“They need to get to definitive documents. My understanding is they’re on a mid-July-ish timeline on that,” he said. “We’re hopeful they get over the next hurdle.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Cristopher Sánchez ran his consecutive shutout innings streak to 50 2/3 before allowing a run and earned the win after J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber homered in the seventh inning, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night. 

Jhoan Durran worked a scoreless ninth for his 14th save.

Sánchez’s streak ranks as the third-best overall dating to the start of the Live Ball Era in 1920 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser, with a record 59 straight scoreless innings in 1988, and Don Drysdale with 58 in 1968. With a scoreless first inning against the Padres, Sánchez topped Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell’s mark of 45 1/3 in 1933 for longest by a left-hander.

Sánchez (7-2) breezed through six scoreless innings against the Padres before allowing a two-out double in the seventh to Ty France. Sánchez allowed an RBI single to lefty-swinging Jackson Merrill that scored France and accounted for the only run he allowed since the end of April.

Sánchez stood on the mound and finally cracked a smile and fidgeted with the bill of his cap after a nearly minute-long standing ovation from 40,453 Phillies fans. He finished with eight strikeouts.

Sánchez last allowed two runs in the first inning of a 3-2 victory over the Giants on April 30.

Sánchez got the run support he needed for the win in the bottom of the seventh when Realmuto and Schwarber hit solo homers off Padres’ reliever Jason Adam (2-1) to make it 3-1.

Adolis Garcia, struggling mightily and batting .193 in his first season as Nick Castellanos’ replacement in right field, laced an RBI double to center off Padres’ starter Walker Buehler in the fifth for the 1-0 lead.

Phillies reliever Brad Keller drilled Xander Bogaerts with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to make it 3-2.

Up next

The Padres send RHP Lucas Giolito (2-0, 4.97 ERA) against Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (4-1, 2.27 ERA) on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Cactus Bowl is back and it’s returning to Arizona State’s campus.

Fiesta Sports Foundation, which operates the Fiesta and Cactus bowls, announced the return on Wednesday, ending a nine-year run at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

The game will be played Dec. 26 at Arizona State’s Mountain America Stadium.

The bowl moved to Chase Field while Arizona State’s stadium underwent renovations and had numerous title sponsors, most recently being known as the Rate Bowl from 2024-25.

The Cactus Bowl previously had been played at Arizona State’s stadium from 2006-2015.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

The San Diego Padres designated outfielder Nick Castellanos for assignment on Wednesday, one day after he received a video tribute in his return to Philadelphia.

Castellanos was released by the Phillies in February just ahead of their first full-squad workout at spring training. The Phillies released him even though they owed him $20 million for the final season of a $100 million, five-year contract.

The Padres took a flier on him and spent only the league minimum of around $780,000 for him this season. Castellanos never returned to his two-time All-Star form in limited action with San Diego. He hit .191 with a .560 OPS, four home runs and 20 RBIs in 39 games for the Padres.

Castellanos spent four seasons with the Phillies but was not in the lineup for his return game in Philadelphia’s 3-2 win on Tuesday night. He tipped his cap toward cheering fans after a short video tribute that highlighted some of his sliding catches from his time with the Phillies.

The Padres selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor from Triple-A El Paso ahead of Wednesday’s game.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

The Atlanta Braves are humming.

Winning 41 of their first 61 games, the Braves own the best record in MLB (41-20) and have a nine-and-a-half-game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the National League East. Here’s Atlanta’s start to the 2026 MLB season by the numbers:

1A: The Braves lead MLB with 540 hits.

1B: Their bullpen sports a combined 2.99 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, which each lead the sport; Atlanta’s bullpen is third with a combined .209 opponent batting average.

1C: Two Atlanta relievers own an ERA below one: Robert Suárez (0.68 ERA over 26 ⅔ innings) and Raisel Iglesias (0.96 ERA over 18 ⅔ innings).

2A: Its offense is second in MLB in home runs (85), batting average (.259), slugging percentage (.435) and OPS+ (116).

2B: The Braves’ pitching staff is collectively second with a 1.15 WHIP.

2C: Their bullpen has surrendered just 67 walks, which is the second fewest in the sport.

2D: Of Atlanta’s 20 losses, nine of them were by two or fewer runs.

3: The Braves are third in MLB in runs (320), OPS (.760) and average exit velocity (89.8 mph).

4: Their starting rotation is fourth in the sport with a 3.27 ERA and a .219 opponent batting average, with its pitching staff as a whole fourth with a 126 ERA+.

5: The number of Atlanta players who sport a WAR (wins above replacement) of at least two: Matt Olson (2.8), catcher Drake Baldwin (2.5), left-hander Chris Sale (2.2), second baseman Ozzie Albies (2.1) and center fielder Michael Harris II (2.0).

9.8: The Braves’ team barrel percentage, which is fourth in MLB, according to Statcast.

10: The Braves have scored double-digit runs in five games.

11: Iglesias is 11 for 11 in save opportunities.

13: The Braves have three players who have hit at least 13 home runs: Olson (17), Baldwin (13) and Harris (13).

16: Of its 19 complete series this season, Atlanta is 16-2-1. The Braves didn’t lose a series until dropping two out of three on the road against the Seattle Mariners from May 4-6.

19: Olson is tied with Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement with an MLB-high 19 doubles.

30: Five Braves players have driven in at least 30 runs: Olson (46), Baldwin (38), Harris (37), third baseman Austin Riley (32) and Albies (31).

67.2: Atlanta’s 67.2% winning percentage leads MLB.

109: The Braves are on pace to win 109 games, which would be a franchise record. The current franchise record is 106 wins, which was accomplished in 1998, a year that saw the Braves reach the NL Championship Series but lose to the San Diego Padres in said round.

133: Olson’s 133 total bases lead the NL.

800: The Braves have five consistent, everyday players who boast an OPS north of .800: Baldwin, Olson, Harris, star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and designated hitter Dominic Smith; infielder Jorge Mateo (.845 OPS across 87 plate appearances) and outfielder José Azócar (.842 OPS over 16 plate appearances) also boast an OPS north .800.

900: Two of the aforementioned players have an OPS north of .900 (Baldwin has a .931 OPS and Olson has a .901 OPS).