Potential salary floor in MLB's next CBA could force the White Sox to finally spend | Mully & Haugh

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]is in how good was Sox starter Davis Martin yesterday in the 6-2 win over the visiting Twins. The Sox have now won his last eight starts outscoring opponents 49 to 15 in those contests. Martin's eight wins are one more than last year's seven in 25 starts. In fact, he came into the season with just 10 career wins in 44 starts and already has eight and 11 this year.

[00:00:25]>> All right, I want to be careful here because you don't want to get too far ahead of yourself on May >> Get ahead.

[00:00:31]>> 29th.

[00:00:32]But what you're seeing with Davis Martin and those numbers offensively when he pitches, it reminded me of some of the numbers that you would see with like Arrieta and the Cubs. And when he would go to the mound, it would seem like he'd get a ton of support. And when when aces of staffs pitch, it's like the offense relaxes because they know all they need is a few runs and it takes the pressure off.

[00:01:03]I and it makes me think of the podcast I talk about all the time, the lovable reunion and Jake Arrieta and the wild card game in 2015 told the teammates, "Just get me one.

[00:01:13]Just get me one.

[00:01:14]Just get me a run and I'll shut them out." And the the implication is that when you have an ace like that dominating to the extent that Davis Martin is, the bats can just go up there carefree, take their hacks, and [music] hit. And goodness sakes, 49 to 15?

[00:01:35]That's dominance. And Davis Martin is delivering. And he will deserve mention in Cy Young conversations if this continues. He's been that good. It couldn't happen to a better guy in that clubhouse. And the White Sox took three out of four from the Twins. And now with the lowly Tigers limping into town meekly, they take care of business, beat them two out of three and send them home in last place.

[00:02:01]>> Davis Martin was really good and it always helps when you're playing with a lead, right? You can you can attack differently. Um the hitters are pressing. So, there's nothing to Davis Martin might be starting for the American League in Philadelphia in the All-Star game. That that is a poss- that's a possibility.

[00:02:18]>> Are you going?

[00:02:19]>> [laughter] >> Is Mitch sending you?

[00:02:21]>> Ask Mitch.

[00:02:27]>> Um yeah, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[00:02:29]>> No, I was done.

[00:02:30]>> Um I I am I feel you know, you talk about the circle of trust. I feel a sense of relief when he's on the bump.

[00:02:38]It's like it's like, "Whose pitcher?"

[00:02:40]Oh, great. Okay. I can watch this one and enjoy it cuz it's there's no kind of dread or there's no doubt that you have confidence because you've watched them win the last eight games he's pitched and and they just have no problem doing so because the guy has been so good and I think it does relax the the offense. I think it relaxes me. I I think [laughter] it's it's just just the concept is just uh thank god. Okay, that's [laughter] good. You got this one. He has been outstanding. I mean, he is really this is by miles the best stretch of his career and he's meant to be like a really good guy and a good leader and I don't know if you read um uh Merc's uh newsletter where he he clearly doesn't want to talk about himself. He doesn't want to get ahead of himself.

[00:03:39]>> Don't mention the Cy Young.

[00:03:40]>> of that stuff. He's just pitching and he's enjoying life and enjoying the people around him and having a great season and a great time doing so and it's really it's been um it's been a a security blanket of sorts I think for for everyone that likes this team. Been great. And I I wanted to put a question like that in and go through some numbers because I love what the guy is doing and it's it's just incredible how well he's played.

[00:04:11]And he gets no real we haven't really we I think we called him the best pitcher in baseball over the last 6 weeks or so. I agree he's gotten attention.

[00:04:20]>> But I'm saying there's some good pitchers out there with more recognizable names.

[00:04:25]>> But he's evolving into a really good starter.

[00:04:28]>> having one of those kind of special seasons.

[00:04:29]>> No doubt about it.

[00:04:32]>> I ask questions that nobody asks, right?

[00:04:35]So >> That's the voice of Bruce Levine not with us today, but of course he'll be with us next week and he'll be IT scene.

[00:04:42]>> Oh yeah, tomorrow 9:00 to 11:00 Sam Anatachi 9:30 tomorrow.

[00:04:45]>> Outstanding.

[00:04:46]>> There you go.

[00:04:47]>> Do not hit him.

[00:04:48]>> [laughter] >> Or insult him.

[00:04:51]>> If the MLB owners proposal to the MLBPA taught us anything yesterday, it might be that the two sides don't seem to agree on much of anything, right? But is there any common ground is that it seems like the White Sox need to be spending significantly more money. The MLBPA suggested a competitive balance tax and any team below 150 million in payroll while the owners suggested a salary cap requiring a minimum of 171.2 million without exceeding 245.3 million. Since the payroll is just under 90 million, should the White Sox be spending more money following our guy Bruce Levine suggesting and make Mo'ne Davis a 150 million dollar man?

[00:05:39]>> That would be a nice solution to the White Sox spending more money. Yeah, they clearly you know, there's a listen, there's a lot of teams that are over There's a handful of teams overspending, but there's a lot of teams that are under spending. And the White Sox just happen to be third from the bottom of that list. I think the the Guardians are uh are behind them and uh and there's one other team who is the lowest spending team.

[00:06:05]>> Marlins.

[00:06:05]>> The Marlins, that's right. So, those are the two teams behind the White Sox. I think you can spend some money. I think you can go ahead, make sure you lock up Mookie Betts and get yourself and get yourself ever closer. You know, the the players think you should be spending uh 150 million. Uh the owners think it's over 171.

[00:06:28]Either way, you are kind of living on easy street, and you need to spend more money. It's as simple as that. You need to put a lot more money into your payroll, and they're they're Are they now the only team that hasn't given away a $100 million deal? I I lose track of that one, but they've never done it, and you got a guy now, tear up that deal, make him uh a a worthy recipient of a of a 5-year deal, and get yourself back into the business of baseball.

[00:06:58]>> Yeah, I mean, the White Sox are 80 million dollars below the proposed floor from the owners. Right? I mean, this is the MLB Right? The the the the the Major League Baseball, that was their proposal for that that that that spot. So, um yeah, it's wild. Uh Mooney deserves deserves that money. Didn't we hear like a a supposed story of a fan sitting right behind uh Ishbia saying that like that guy's not getting out of town on my watch. Something like Didn't something like that was out there floating around?

[00:07:31]Yeah.

[00:07:32]>> Yeah, um so, you know, >> Unconfirmed, but interesting.

[00:07:36]>> hope that that happens, right? Um I find this really interesting, and it's almost like wow the when you get when you crunch the numbers with this this proposal of the the highest part and the lowest part and you see the the Mets are 88 million over proposed top spot. So it's it's going to be interesting and unfortunately I think we are going to have to say to ourselves let's just enjoy it while we got it.

[00:08:12]>> There are 12 teams that would have to spend to get up to the floor.

[00:08:18]12 almost half of baseball.

[00:08:20]>> Eight would have to cut >> to cut salary to get under the cap.

[00:08:25]>> 20 of the 30 teams in the league.

[00:08:28]>> But if you don't get under the cap you would be taxed and I think that would be one of those things unless it's a hard cap and I can't imagine that happening.

[00:08:36]I have a hard time envisioning this happening. This is going to be something that leads to philosophically it is the core of this debate and it how they come to a compromise is I don't want to say anybody's guess but I think everybody understands just how difficult it's going to be. This is these are the bedrock beliefs of of the players association versus what the owners and Major League Baseball wants and feels like they need. And right now that's going to be like that and in the in the to localize it in this moment in the context of the White Sox yes the possibility renegotiation is essential to the White Sox showing they can spend or would be willing to spend to be a winning team. This is what Major League Baseball wants teams to look at situations recognize opportunities and take advantage of them and reward players for production and Muney Murakami has been as productive and valuable as any player in baseball to his team.

[00:09:38]>> I I was watching the Is it the Foul Territory podcast >> Yeah.

[00:09:41]>> with A.J.?

[00:09:42]>> Yes.

[00:09:43]>> Okay, they were talking about this and their conclusion was this whole thing is owner v. owner. That the owners need to sit down together, talk to each other.

[00:09:55]This has nothing to do with what the players are looking for. It's what the owners are trying to get done, which is reduce their spending and increase their spending.

[00:10:03]>> I heard that, too, and I I don't disagree totally, but I also think that if this is the proposal for Major League Baseball, this is the owners' proposal.

[00:10:10]So, this has to be the owners agreeing to the point even we don't know specifically Jerry Reinsdorf, but those 12 teams that would have to spend to get to the floor had to have agreed to this proposal to say, "Okay, if this is the reality, we're willing to accept what we need to do to compete and to meet that threshold."

[00:10:28]>> But >> So, they I know they're going back and forth at each other right now, but they had to have they had to have approved this.

[00:10:34]>> I I That's my point. That's why I think this is so fascinating.

[00:10:37]>> fascinating.

[00:10:38]>> Because people that are not spending the money they need to spend, all they're looking for is a bigger chunk of the pie from the people that are already have money and can put it in their team.

[00:10:49]That's why it's owner to owner in terms of what this argument really is.

[00:10:53]>> But now >> They can't control themselves. They've got owners that are just outspending everyone else because they're making different money than everyone else.

[00:11:01]>> you've got the economic becomes a math problem. You're going to have all kinds of experts on both sides of the ledgers telling you about why, you know, you can't deprive the Dodgers from spending as much as they want. You can't deprive the players from making as much as they they should or what they deserve. By the same token, people will say you're going to be paying players more because you need to get 12 teams up to that threshold.

[00:11:22]>> But But if you did this >> is better?

[00:11:24]>> I'm I'm not like I'm not Mr. I I'm not a hard cap guy or a a low cap.

[00:11:30]I'm not willing to get into that argument, but the reality is if you can't discipline yourselves, which is what we're talking about here, this being within a hundred million dollars, this seems like baseball becomes competitive again.

[00:11:46]>> If you buy the fact that spending leads to winning, which that's even under debate now. You can read a lot of things. If you buy that spending leads to winning, you're exactly right. This creates a more of competitive balance, which is what everybody wants.