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The Milwaukee Brewers are riding high right now after winning the franchise's first World Series title by taking down the Tampa Bay Rays this fall.
Milwaukee was the best team in baseball in 2026 and the vast majority of the roster is under team control heading into 2027. The Brewers are built to contend next year and beyond. Brewers fans should be very excited about their team right now. And if the league's updated collective bargaining agreement proposal were to go through, arguably it could help make the team even better.
On Tuesday, the league released its latest proposal to the MLBPA and included an updated salary cap — and salary floor. The salary cap would be $258.2 million while the salary floor would be $180.2 million. These are increases from previous proposals of a $245.3 million ceiling and $171.2 million floor. The MLBPA already shut down the idea, although it would be good for Brewers fans because of the increase in spending Milwaukee would have to do.
In 2026, the Brewers had a total payroll of $146,731,320, per Spotrac. That was certainly enough for Milwaukee, clearly. But imagine what this roster could look like if they spent roughly another $34 million? Every year, the idea of Milwaukee trading stars away is brought up as they approach free agency simply because of the price tag. It was already the case with William Contreras, although the idea has been shut down. Trevor Megill has already been talked about as a potential trade chip as well.
If a salary floor in this range were to come into play, the Brewers would be required to spend at a higher level than they have in the past. Now, this likely wouldn't completely change how the Brewers do business. We'd still likely see players traded at points before free agency. But it also should give the fanbase hope about retaining some of their internal stars.
If the Brewers had to spend an extra chunk of change, could that help in the long run eventually when Jacob Misiorowski inches towards free agency? What about Brice Turang? The list goes on. If the Brewers have to spend more, it would be for the best in general. Now, of course, that could mean being more aggressive in free agency, but arguably it would be better for retaining the guys on the roster already.
The MLBPA certainly isn't going to accept this proposal, for now at least. But it would be good for Brewers fans. When the two sides ultimately agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, if there is a salary floor, it would be good for Milwaukee in general.