Bassitt says MLB has best parity: 'Salary cap is not the issue'

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt doesn't believe a salary cap will solve MLB's problems amid growing concerns of a possible lockout on the horizon.

"The salary cap doesn't fix anything," Bassit said Wednesday, according to Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun. "If you look at every major sport that has a salary cap, we have the best parity. The salary cap is not the issue. Having suppressed salaries across the league so owners can make more money is not the answer."

Bassitt, a member of the MLBPA's executive subcommittee, also compared the recent dominance of the Los Angeles Dodgers to NFL dynasties like the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

"If I tell you in 25 years, the Dodgers will be going to 10 World Series and winning seven of them, is that an issue?" Bassitt said. "Because that's the Patriots. The Chiefs have been to what, six or seven? The Philadelphia Eagles have been to four or five. The parity in our sport is better than any other sport."

Instead, the 36-year-old suggested that making changes to "help the so-called bottom teams" would offer a more effective solution.

"How can you sit there and say a salary cap is going to fix this when every single salary cap sport has less parity than ours?" Bassitt added. "It makes no sense."

Reports in January indicated that team owners were prepared to push for a salary cap after the Dodgers signed All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240-million deal. The Dodgers have won three of the last six World Series, including back-to-back titles. Their 2025 triumph came against the Toronto Blue Jays, Bassitt's former team.

The MLB's current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the year on Dec. 1, with a potential salary cap and floor among the sport's hot topics.