Paul Skenes Is Right: Why MLB Doesn’t Need A Salary Cap

Everywhere in Life, and MLB is no exception; you’ll always have winners and losers. Winning is a goal, not guaranteed.

I’ve grown incredibly tired of reading how some Pittsburgh Pirates fans are of the belief that if a salary floor and cap are implemented in the next collective bargaining agreement, somehow, they and other clubs will finally be on an even floor as the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees.

Every baseball executive worth his soul wants to succeed. Sometimes they do, but in most instances a World Series championship (or two) comes far and few between.

So the Dodgers have dominated since 2020. Three World Series titles are impressive. There are complainers that the deck is stacked against their team because Los Angeles has the second-highest 2026 payroll ($322,385,057). Well, the New York Mets have THE highest payroll this season at $357,626,125. They are dead last in the National League East – 13.5 games trailing the Atlanta Braves.

The Chicago White Sox come in 28th place in 2026 among MLB payrolls at $83, 892,150. Are they surprising the heck out of most everyone this season? As of Thursday morning, Chicago is in first place in the American League Central by three games.

For all the cash the Mets have at their disposal, and they do have the wealthiest owner in Steve Cohen, it’s been 40 years since a championship came to Queens. Remember when the Cubs won it all in 2016? When did they win a World Series before that? 1908.

Sure, Los Angeles has won three World Series titles since 2020, but before that, they last won in 1988. With the New York Yankees coming in third place this season in team payroll, and being one of the highest spenders year after year, have you forgotten that they haven’t been the last team standing since 2009?

Growing up in New York City in the early 1970s, I remember the Yankees were awful for many years. They won it all in 1962, then not until 1977. And after repeating as champions in 1978, it was not until 1996 that they once again contributed to the club’s winning traditions.

When I read what Colin Beazley wrote in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, quoting Skenes that “There’s a line that we’re not going to cross, and if we have to miss games, we’ll miss games”, I did the proverbial stand-up and cheered.

I’m not for ownership or the players. I’m for a free-market place.

This past offseason the Pirates did well in acquiring several players. Ryan O’Hearn, signing for two years, seems now to be one of their two best bargains in years. In Wednesday night’s game in Sacramento with the Athletics, O’Hearn collected three hits and six RBIs, including his 11th home run of the season.

Brandon Lowe, the other really good pickup by Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made in the offseason, contributed 2 RBIS in the 12-4. Lowe is hitting .241 and has a .837 OPS. O’Hearn’s OPS is .826.

Clubs will always have challenges. “You win some, you lose some.” The signing of designated hitter Marcell Ozuna isn’t going the way Cherington and Pirates manager Don Kelly were hoping for – so far. The .198 average (.595 OPS) illustrates that he isn’t performing up to the level of the $12 million Pittsburgh dished out for his services. Baseball is a game of chance. The Pirates took a chance on Ozuna, and so far, it’s a failing proposition. Ozuna did connect on his 6th home run of the season on Thursday.

Henry Davis just hasn’t hit. His 1.38 average is beyond awful. Again, the club continues to invest in him. At some point, possibly this season, a decision may have to be made about his future with the club. A catcher can frame pitches all he wants, but he must hit the ball as well as catch it.

Another success story with the 2026 Pirates is Spencer Horwitz. The guy reminds me and more of former Met Keith Hernandez of the 1970s and 1980s. Keith could hit and was one of the best fielding first basemen ever to play the game. Horwitz is hitting 2.81, and his OPS is .845.

No matter how much a club spends, supremacy on the playing field is always a roll of the dice. Injuries happen early and often. When I read or hear a baseball “authority” champion a pitcher for continuing to throw balls at 100 mph or greater, I wonder if they have placed a bet on when that “golden arm” will break down and be escorted in the Tommy John line?

I’ll take adding scouts to a budget before adding a nickel to an analytics staff. Boots on the ground, looking at, getting a feel for the person to go along with his performance is crucial when considering signing or not. Watching the game and NOT solely numbers could open observers' eyes to what they are missing.

Clubs could spend what they want. Buy an established player or produce from your minor leagues, and success fills stadiums. Filled stadiums create additional wealth for owners to reinvest into their roster. But jealousy of others doing well shouldn't make you want to find happiness in changing the rules to work against them.

The Pirates have a good team, and an improved team over the 2025 lineup. Cherington is too smart not to be working on picking up a relief pitcher who could improve the club. Don’t look to the Dodgers or Yankees; just stay focused on what you could control in Pittsburgh. *