MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recognizes low-spending teams hurting baseball
By Matt Reed
Major League Baseball has made some big strides towards its revamped image over recent years, but even after a successful MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night the league's commissioner took the opportunity to call out certain teams that are holding the sport back.
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While the New York Mets and New York Yankees are amongst the top teams in baseball when it comes to spending big at the moment, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred made it known that some teams across the sport are lagging behind severely.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has acknowledged that low-spending teams is a growing problem:
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 15, 2025
"We need to deal with that issue."
“When I talk to players, I don’t try to convince them that a salary-cap system would be a good thing. I identify a problem in the media business and explain [to players] that owners need to change to address that problem,” Manfred said. “I then identify a second problem that we need to work together on, and that is there are fans in a lot of our markets who feel like we have a competitive balance problem.”
Many teams are spending in bundles, including 10 franchises that boast payrolls of over $200 million, however, there are currently three teams that have less than $100 million on their books.
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