Often a topic of conversation during the final months of the 2025 regular season and into the postseason was the payroll disparity that exists between the top spenders in MLB and those who are forced to limit their financial commitments due purely to the size of the market they play in. The reason such conversations were more common this year than in seasons past is the looming expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that governs the relationship between MLB owners and the MLB Player's Association (MLBPA).
Many are expecting the decision of whether or not to finally implement a salary cap in MLB to hold up the passage of a new CBA next December, which could potentially lead another lockout.