Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino shares thoughts on MLB salary cap, deferred salaries
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Vinnie Pasquantino pushed back on social media calls for a Major League salary cap.
- He argued caps ignore complex factors and deferred pay drives competitive imbalance.
- MLB players and union will contest any cap as CBA expires after the 2026 season.
As the Dodgers players celebrated their World Series title Saturday on the field at the Rogers Centre, some fans took to social media to call for a change in Major League Baseball.
Specifically, they want to see MLB institute a salary cap.
The Dodgers, who won a second straight World Series title, had a $350 million payroll, the highest in baseball, per Spotrac. The Mets were second at $341 million, but they missed the playoffs.
However, the teams with the next three highest payrolls were all in the postseason: the Yankees, Phillies and Blue Jays.
The Marlins had the lowest payroll in baseball at $67.8 million. Among playoff teams, the Guardians ($100 million) had the lowest payroll. The Royals ($133.5 million) were 18th in baseball.
That salary-cap chatter on social media caught the attention of Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. The MLB Players Association is staunchly against a cap, and it’s likely to be an issue when the collective-bargaining agreement ends after the 2026 season.
“There hasn’t been a repeat champion in like 20 some years,” Pasquantino wrote to a fan, who later deleted an X post about the salary cap. “The Yankees haven’t won since 09. Salary cap isn’t the answer you may think it is.”
Another fan responded that Pasquantino’s stance was based on his desire to get a big contract. Pasquantino is arbitration eligible this year and is projected to see his salary jump from $793,000 to $5.4 million, per MLB Trade Rumors.
“Hey man,” Pasquantino wrote. “The type of player I am actually thrives in salary cap leagues, so I am technically hurt by the system we have, just an fyi for you.”
The conversation turned to deferred salaries, which the Dodgers have used to give massive contracts to players. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that the Dodgers owe $1.051 billion in deferred pay to just eight players.
That includes $680 million to star Shohei Ohtani from 2034 to ‘43.
Pasquantino acknowledged that is a problem, but said it was beneficial to the players.
“As far as competitive balance goes I’m with (you) on deferred contracts being an issue,” Pasquantino wrote. “As a player though it makes a lot of sense, especially tax wise if you’re in California or a high income tax state because on the deferrals you get paid where you live.”
Pasquantino then answered another fan who talked about the World Series teams being in the top five in salary.
“You can try to do this all you want and I understand what you’re doing,” Pasquantino wrote. “However it’s not as simple as a cap. There’s a lot more at work here than that. There’s a reason we push back on it so much. I appreciate your input and thoughts on it, but we’re not dumb and we hire very smart people to represent us in negotiations. We’re not pushing back against this simply for fun.”
MLB players worry that a salary cap could suppress how much money they earn, and that owners would get a larger share of the financial pie.
With the CBA ending in 13 months, you can expect to hear a lot more talk about the salary cap.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 10:56 AM.
