Sports
MLB Salary Cap Proposal: What a Cap and Floor Could Look Like
The proposed cap would be between $260 and $280 million, and the proposed floor would be between $140 and $160 million. Currently, five teams are above the upper quadrant of the proposed cap, and eleven teams are below the bottom quadrant of the floor. That’s probably the biggest issue to address when discussing a proposed cap.
It’s unfair to expect teams to overhaul their already constructed rosters in one year in order to be within the cap. Teams would need a transition period to reach the target. Maybe rules could be put in place that prevent teams from making more signings if they are a certain amount over the cap.
The MLB could institute its version of a second apron. In the NBA, if a team is above the second apron, they are penalized with strict tax penalties, cannot make trades that aggregate contracts, have their first-round pick moved to the end of the draft, and can only sign players to the veteran minimum.
Most of these penalties would not occur in the first year the cap is implemented, but they could immediately force teams above the cap to no longer be able to offer contracts to free agents outside the veteran minimum or minor league deals.
Another massive issue that would need to be solved is deferred contracts. The most obvious solution is limit the amount of time or the amount that can be deferred for each contract. Unfortunately, teams like the Dodgers have billions in deferred money on the books, so I’m not sure how you could fix that. Those contracts are ruining baseball, but they might just need to be grandfathered in.
Another key piece is teams well under the salary floor. The Cleveland’s and Miami’s of the world currently have rosters that are hardly half of the salary floor. I wonder if they will have to restructure most of the contracts on their team, or if they will have to make swings for contracts on teams over the cap, so both sides can be within the rules.
Another speed bump is that many players feel that a cap limits the potential earnings for the entire league. I fully disagree with that sentiment. The days of players getting $750M over ten years might be done, but the bottom half of the league will see very nice pay bumps as teams try to raise their salary floors.
Another issue comes with the percentage of the cap floor. In the NFL and NBA, the cap floor is 90% of the cap ceiling. Owners would never allow a number that high, but the players would probably like that, as it would almost force every team to have at least one “max contract”.
Implementing a cap will be a difficult process, and both sides will face issues with it, but to maintain competitive balance in the league, it’s necessary.
Sports
Jose Ramirez hits 3 doubles to guide Guardians over Yankees
May 31, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) celebrates after scoring during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Jose Ramirez hit a tiebreaking double with one out in the fifth inning and the visiting Cleveland Guardians earned a 9-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
Ramirez had three doubles for the fifth time in his storied career, and the first since Aug. 26, 2024 against Kansas City.
He doubled in three straight at-bats in the fourth, fifth and seventh, producing his third three-hit game this season.
Ramirez’s second double snapped a 4-4 tie. After the Guardians loaded the bases when Brayan Rocchio was plunked by New York’s Cam Schlittler (7-3), rookie Travis Bazzana lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
Ramirez followed by ripping a 2-2 curveball over first baseman Ben Rice and to the right field corner as Patrick Bailey easily scored. Ramirez added an insurance run with a double to left field in the seventh off Tim Hill to put Cleveland ahead 6-4.
Bazzana padded the lead with a bases-clearing double in the eighth off Camilo Doval as the Guardians collected 12 hits, marking the fourth time in five games they totaled double-digit hits.
Paul Goldschmidt drove in all four runs for the Yankees, who lost for the second time in eight games. Goldschmidt gave New York a 2-1 lead with a two-run homer off Joey Cantillo in the third and added a two-run single in the fourth for a 4-3 advantage.
Schlittler endured his shortest outing this season and allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked none.
Kyle Manzardo hit a two-run homer off Schlittler’s first-pitch cutter that landed in the right-center field seats to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead in the fourth.
Cantillo allowed four runs on six hits in four innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked three.
Five relievers followed Cantillo and allowed two hits the rest of the way. Colin Holderman (4-1) stranded a runner in the fifth and Matt Festa finished with a 1-2-3 ninth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reds rally late, walk off with 10-inning win over Royals
inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The Reds won 4-3 on a walkoff hit by Blake Dunn, scoring Spencer Steer from second base in the 10th inning. Blake Dunn’s RBI single in the 10th inning completed a comeback and gave the host Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 walk-off win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Spencer Steer hit two home runs and scored the winning run as the automatic runner for the Reds, who won for the second time in the last six games.
Will Benson’s pinch-hit home run to right field off Royals closer Lucas Erceg leading off the bottom of the ninth tied the game at 3-all.
Dunn’s game-winning hit, off John Schreiber (0-3), was the only Reds’ hit that was not a home run.
Brock Burke (2-2) earned the win with a scoreless 10th.
The loss spoiled a gem by Royals starter Noah Cameron, who retired 20 of the 21 batters he faced. Kansas City has lost seven of its last eight.
Cameron only allowed Steer’s first homer, did not walk a batter and struck out eight.
Steer’s second home run of the game, a drive to right-center leading off the eighth, pulled Cincinnati to within 3-2. His ninth homer was an opposite field drive into the stands in right-center.
Reds starter Andrew Abbott gave up three runs on five hits in six innings with four walks and five strikeouts.
Steer’s first home run of the game, a shot to left-center, came with one out in the fifth after Cameron had retired the first 13 Cincinnati batters.
The Royals took a 3-0 lead in the fourth on a fielder’s choice groundout with the bases loaded by Jac Caglianone and a bases-loaded, two-run, two-out single by Michael Massey.
Cameron made an outstanding defensive play for the first out of the third on Dunn’s attempt for a bunt single. Dunn bunted the ball between the mound and first, and Cameron, in one motion, picked up the ball with a backhand swipe and flipped it out of his glove first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino.
Reds center fielder Dane Myers made a leaping catch at the wall on Starling Marte’s long drive for the second out of the fifth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twins prevail over White Sox; halt Davis Martin's 6-game win streak
Jun 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Brooks Lee (22) hits a single during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images Tristan Gray went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins held on for a 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Luke Keaschall added a pair of hits and drove in two runs for Minnesota, which secured a series victory. Alex Jackson finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Miguel Vargas went 1-for-4 with two RBIs to lead Chicago at the plate. The White Sox have dropped back-to-back games after winning their previous five in a row.
Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-3) allowed four runs on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
White Sox right-hander Davis Martin (8-2) endured his shortest outing of the season. Martin gave up six runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak and he suffered his first setback since April 10.
Twins right-hander Yoendrys Gomez got the final four outs to record his fourth save.
The White Sox opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the third.
Luisangel Acuna started the action when he drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and scored on a throwing error by Jackson. The White Sox had runners on second and third with one out later in the inning, and Vargas delivered with a two-run single to left to make it 3-0.
The hit gave Vargas six RBIs in the first two games of the series.
The Twins got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Brooks Lee hit a sacrifice fly to left, plating Gray.
Minnesota added four runs in the fourth to seize a 5-3 lead.
Keaschall started the scoring with an RBI single to left. Gray followed with a two-run single to left, and Jackson capped the outburst with an RBI single to right.
Gray, who hit a grand slam and drove in five runs in the series opener, has 11 RBIs in his past five games.
The Twins increased their lead to 6-3 on another RBI single by Keaschall in the fifth.
Chase Meidroth notched an RBI infield single in the seventh to cut Chicago’s deficit to 6-4. But he fanned to end the eighth with two runners on base.
–Field Level Media
