Commentary: Baseball labor talks may look like a battle among millionaires, but it's really about billionaires vs. peons

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Set us as preferred Is any labor dispute today caricatured more than the contract negotiations between Major League Baseball owners and their players?You know the theme: It’s about already-overpaid millionaire ballplayers and their billionaire masters grasping for more.As the rich get richer we, the fans, are going to pay the price.

This idea became more widespread on Aug.2, when the Dodgers acquired ace lefthander Tarik Skubal to contribute to the team’s quest for a third strait World Series title.

The trade inspired complaints that the team’s wealth was bad for the game, inspiring headlines such as this from the New Yorker: “Did the Dodgers Ruin Baseball?” The owners’ proposal for a salary cap is the central issue in negotiations just now.It’s said that fans are clamoring for a cap, but the people saying that are the owners, and it’s not like they’ve provided any evidence for the claim.

Did the Dodgers Ruin Baseball?— The New Yorker, looking for a reason to hate L.A.Anyway, the idea that the fans are clamoring to cancel the 2027 season — an implicit threat by the owners — just for a rule change that would put more money in billionaires’ pockets doesn’t strike me as remotely plausible.Negotiations between the owners and the Major League Baseball Players Assn.over the renewal of the existing contract, which expires on Dec.

1, are expected to continue through early March, when the impending start of the new season will generate pressure to get a deal done.Commentary on economics and more from a Pulitzer Prize winner.By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver.

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