Will Major League Baseball have a salary cap in place for the 2027 season?
The answer will be yes if the owners get their way in negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement. Commissioner Rob Manfred is adamant that the sport needs a cap to spark more competitive balance. That is why MLB is expected to lock out the players on Dec. 2, when the current CBA expires.
The answer will be no if the Major League Baseball Players Association wins the negotiations. The union is adamant that a cap will hold down salaries.
If a cap is implemented, it would certainly change the way many teams would go about roster building and their decisions on which players they could afford.
With that in mind, what if each team gained the right to terminate one contract without penalty? Who would they dump?
Arizona Diamondbacks: RHP Corbin Burnes
Money remaining on contract: $140 million
Burnes had the opportunity to opt out of his six-year, $210 million contract but unsurprisingly decided not to after being limited to three starts this past season when his recovery from Tommy John surgery was delayed by shoulder trouble. The Diamondbacks didn’t have buyer’s remorse when Burnes went 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts in his first season in 2025 but the 32-year-old’s slow return from the injured list is cause for concern.
Athletics: RF Lawrence Butler
Money remaining on contract: $59,142,858
Butler’s performance has been pedestrian through the first two seasons of his seven-year, $65.5 million contract as he has hit .235/.315/.400 with 38 home runs, 32 stolen bases and 1.9 bWAR in 306 games. Butler is 26, so the Athletics should be reasonable able to expect a better on a contract that does not expire until 2031.
Atlanta Braves: 3B Austin Riley
Money remaining on contract: $132 million
Riley has two All-Star Game appearances and two Silver Sluggers to his name, but the 29-year-old’s career has taken a steep drop in the past two seasons as he has batted .236/.298/.391 with 35 homers and 2.5 bWAR in 261 games. With six years left on his contract, the Braves need Riley to rebound.
Baltimore Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish
Money remaining on contract: $90 million
Bradish’s five-year, $90-million contract does not go into effect until next season, so we’re kind of jumping the gun here. Yet the 30-year-old did not inspire confidence in this deal providing great value when he went 7-14 with a 4.12 ERA in 29 starts this past season.
Boston Red Sox: SS Trevor Story
Money remaining on contract: $25 million
Story has battled injuries throughout much of the life of a six-year, $140 million contract that will expire at the end of the next season unless the Red Sox unexpectedly exercises a $25 million club option for 2028. Story has played in no more than 94 games in four of his five seasons with the Red Sox and had a .235/.271/.351 slash line, five home runs and 0.2 bWAR in 64 games this year.
Chicago Cubs: SS Dansby Swanson
Money remaining on contract: $81 million
Swanson is still a helpful player as his 3.2 bWAR in 2026 indicates yet he is no longer playing at an All-Star level like he did in 2022 and 2023 and he has three years to go on a seven-year, $177 million contract. Though he hit 19 home runs and stole 17 bases in 126 games this year, the 32-year-old’s slash line dipped to .213/.297/.397.
Chicago White Sox: DH Andrew Benintendi
Money remaining on contract: $15.1 million
The White Sox made history this past season when they became the first team to reach the postseason following consecutive 100-loss years. However, Benintendi had 0.1 bWAR while hitting .240/.302/.413 with 15 homers in 141games. He is going into the last year of a five-year, $75 million contract, the largest ever given to a free agent in club history and has provided 0.6 bWAR through four seasons.
Cincinnati Reds: 3B: Ke’Bryan Hayes
Money remaining on contract: $29 million
The Pirates dumped Hayes’ contract on the Reds in 2025 at the trade deadline and the defensive wizard’s OPS+ is an amazingly low 44 in 146 games with Cincinnati. Hayes has homered just eight times while slashing .179/.245/.273. Three guaranteed years are left on his eight-year, $70 million contract along with a $12 million club option for 2030 that has a $6 million buyout.
Cleveland Guardians: DH Jo Adell
Money remaining on contract: $0, one year of salary arbitration
Not only have the small-market Guardians won three consecutive American League Central titles but president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff have no onerous contracts on the books. They must decide whether to tender Adell a contract as he could command $10 million through the arbitration process. Adell hit .244/.324/.417 with seven homers in 48 games after he was acquired from the Angels at the trade deadline.
Colorado Rockies: 1B/OF Kris Bryant
Money remaining on contract: $54 million
Bryant’s seven-year, $182 million contract has been a disaster and doesn’t expire until 2028. Bryant missed this past season because of a back injury so severe that he may never play again. Bryant has logged just 170 games with the Rockies, who have four straight seasons of at least 100 losses, and has hit .244/.324/.370 with 17 homers and minus-1.6 bWAR.
Detroit Tigers: LHP Framber Valdez
Money remaining on contract: $77,826,679
The Tigers hoped that adding Valdez as a free agent prior to the past season would lift them to their first World Series appearance since 2012. Instead, he went 10-12 with a 4.03 ERA in 31 starts and the Tigers finished with a 76-86 record. In addition to the one guaranteed season on his three-year, $115 million contract, there is a $35 million player option for 2028.
Houston Astros: 3B Carlos Correa
Money remaining on contract: $63,166,666
Correa reached agreement on long-term deals with the Mets and Giants during the 2022-23 offseason but failed physical examinations with both franchises because of concerns about a chronic left ankle condition. Correa tore a tendon in the ankle this year, underwent surgery, and did not play after May 4. Correa has two more guaranteed years left on the six-year, $200 million contract he signed with the Twins – Minnesota is paying $11.3 million each of the next two seasons— and the Astros hold club options for the 2029-32 seasons.
Kansas City Royals: LHP Seth Lugo
Money remaining on contract: $24.5 million
The 36-year-old had the worst season of his career in 2026, going 7-9 with a 5.17 ERA in 32 starts. Lugo has one more guaranteed season on his two-year, $46 million contract that includes a club option for 2028.
Los Angeles Angels: CF Mike Trout
Money remaining on contract: $148,466,675
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment will inherit an interesting situation if, as expected, it is approved as the franchise’s new owner early next year. Trout is a franchise icon and was an All-Star this year but is 35, on the downside of his career and has four years left on his 12-year, $426.5 million contract. The Angels are coming off the first 100-loss season in franchise history and haven’t been to the postseason since 2014, yet Trout is content in Orange County and has full no-trade rights.
Los Angeles Dodgers: RF Kyle Tucker
Money remaining on contract: $188,769,159
No franchise is more creative with contracts than the Dodgers, which is why Tucker’s salary will be a whopping $81.9 million next season as part of the four-year, $260 million contract he signed last winter. That is a lot of money for a guy who hit .233/.330/.385 with 17 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 154 games while providing 0.7 bWAR in 2026. However, at 29, Tucker is young enough to bounce back.
Miami Marlins: LHP Andrew Nardi
Money remaining on contract: $0, two years of salary arbitration
This is completely unfair to Nardi, but the Marlins don’t have any players on bad contracts. Nardi is expected to miss next season after undergoing elbow surgery in August.
Milwaukee Brewers: DH Christian Yelich
Money remaining on contract: $52 million
This is based solely on on-field production because Yelich’s intangible worth to the Brewers is so important. He was named the first team captain in franchise history in September, and the Brewers went on to win their first World Series title. The 34-year-old has two years left on his nine-year, $215 million contract after hitting just .235/.315/.378 with 12 homers and 11 stolen bases in 118 games.
Minnesota Twins: RHP Pablo Lopez
Money remaining on contract: $21,725,000
Lopez missed this past season while recovering from Tommy John surgery but is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in 2027. So, it’s not like the 30-year-old having one year left on a four-year, $73.5 million contract is a huge financial burden. Yet there is some risk.
New York Mets: 3B Bo Bichette
Money remaining on contract: $84 million
Bichette could have opted out of his three-year, $126 million contract the day after the World Series ended but decided to stay with the Mets for at least one more season. Smart man. Bichette’s market would have been depressed after he batted .260/.312/.390 with 18 homers in 160 games in his first season in New York.
New York Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodon
Money remaining on contract: $55,666,667
Rodon is still an effective pitcher as he had a 7-3 record and a 2.67 ERA this past season. However, being limited to 16 starts and 84.1 innings because of elbow issues is a red flag for a 33-year-old with two years remaining on his six-year, $162 million contract.
Philadelphia Phillies: SS Trea Turner
Money remaining on contract: $190,909,092
Turner has already been put on warning by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski that he needs to show defensive improvement in spring training or face being shifted to the outfield. The alarming part is the 33-year-old Turner is just four years into his 11-year, $300 million contract. Turner’s offense also nosedived this year as he had a .242/.297/.378 slash line, 19 homers and 21 steals in 157 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates: RHP Mitch Keller
Money remaining on contract: $38,823,000
Keller’s biggest value is his ability to eat innings as he pitched at least 176.1 in three straight seasons from 2023-25. However, Keller was limited to 22 starts and 115.2 innings this year and his season ended on Aug. 2 because of a severely strained teres major muscle in his right shoulder. Keller avoided surgery but is 30 and has two years left on his five-year, $77 million contract.
St. Louis Cardinals: 3B Nolan Gorman
Money remaining on contract: $0, two years of salary arbitration
President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom does not have any albatross contracts, but he does have to make a decision on whether to tender Gorman. Gorman is likely to make $3.5 million in arbitration despite slashing just .184/.272/.308 with nine homers in 85 games in 2026.
San Diego Padres: 3B Manny Machado
Money remaining on contract: $273,636,364
Machado hit 30 home runs this year to help the Padres to their fourth consecutive postseason appearance. However, there were signs of slippage as he slashed just .217/.303/.407 in 158 games and had a career-low 1.5 bWAR. The Padres will hope it was just an off year, but Machado is 34 and still has seven years to go on an 11-year, $350 million contract.
San Francisco Giants: SS Willy Adames
Money remaining on contract: $155,714,286
Just two years into a seven-year, $182 million contract, the 31-year-old is in decline as his 1.7 bWAR this year was his lowest since his rookie season in 2018 with the Rays. Adames has 51 home runs in his two seasons with the Giants but a pedestrian .227/.306/.422 slash line over 281 games.
Seattle Mariners: 1B Josh Naylor
Money remaining on contract: $81.2 million
It appeared the Mariners got a hometown discount bargain when they re-signed Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million contract last winter. However, Naylor then had a season with minus-0.2 WAR and a 92 OPS+ as he hit .261/.317/.350 with just 10 homers in 150 games. At 29, it’s hard to tell if it was a bad year or the beginning of the end.
Tampa Bay Rays: LHP Steven Matz
Money remaining on contract: $7.5 million
The Rays couldn’t work their pitching magic with Matz this year after signing him to a two-year, $15 million deal in free agency last offseason. Matz was 6-6 with a 5.49 ERA in 11 starts and 25 relief appearances. He is 35, so a bounce back season isn’t assured for 2027.
Texas Rangers: SS Corey Seager
Money remaining on contract: $157.5 million
The injuries have piled up on Seager in recent years to the point where the Rangers can’t be certain of what the five-time All-Star has left at 32. That must be an unsettling feeling for the Rangers because Seager is midway through his 10-year, $325 million contract.
Toronto Blue Jays: OF Anthony Santander
Money remaining on contract: $57.1 million
It feels as if Santander has disappeared from the face of the earth since hitting 44 home runs for the Orioles in 2024. He signed with the Blue Jays for five years and $92.5 million as a free agent, played in just 54 games in 2025 and missed this past season because of a shoulder injury. Santander’s contract may not be a sunk cost yet but it’s getting there.
Washington Nationals C Keibert Ruiz
Money remaining on contract: $31.5 million
The timing of including Ruiz on this list might seem strange as the 28-year-old is coming off his best season, hitting .280/.316/.443 with 10 home runs in 105 games. Ruiz still has four years remaining on his eight-year, $50 million deal but the Nationals need an upgrade behind the plate if their perpetual rebuilding is ever going to end.
Add us as a preferred source on Google