MLB Stars Push Back on Salary Cap Talk as Harper Faces Betting Flap
Skenes, Soto and Harper say players won't accept a cap, while Harper defends a sportsbook-sponsored Cameo video
A cross-section of baseball's biggest stars used All-Star weekend to send a clear message on one of the sport's looming labor fights: they will not agree to a salary cap, ESPN reported.
Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes, New York's Juan Soto and Philadelphia's Bryce Harper were among the All-Stars who said a cap remains a non-starter in future negotiations with owners, though they maintained there is still time to strike a deal before the dispute could threaten to shorten the 2027 season, according to ESPN.
Harper also found himself at the center of a separate controversy over the weekend. The reigning MVP said he read a promotional script for a paid Cameo video "in good faith," after the clip explicitly named sportsbook FanDuel on camera, fueling a growing debate over athletes' involvement in betting promotions, Fox News reported. Harper placed the blame for the flap on FanDuel rather than himself.
Together, the two storylines framed a weekend in which MLB's marquee players balanced on-field celebration with pointed remarks about labor stability and increasing scrutiny of sports betting's reach into the game.
— Compiled from reporting by ESPN and Fox News.