• Loading stock data...
Friday, October 31, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

MLB Loan Ratchets Up Tension

  • MLB took out a loan to substitute in for the revenue sharing that would normally help fund small market teams.
  • The financial move may lead to greater tension as the league approaches its next collective bargaining negotiations.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Major League Baseball is loaning out funds to teams to help cover expenses for the upcoming season, according to The Athletic, but what happens next is anyone’s guess. 

The plan is that standard revenue sharing will be suspended, as it was last season, and the league will tap a credit line to provide half the funds that would normally flow from the big market teams, like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers, to the smaller market ones.

Next year, those heavy hitters are expected to both resume their roles as revenue distributors while also providing the bulk of the loan repayment to MLB. However, there is some flexibility on next year’s payments, and that’s where things get complicated.

“They can say whatever they want for politics, the understanding is it’ll never be paid back,” a big market team executive told The Athletic.

The commissioner’s office denied that notion, saying that, “The presumption is that the money will be paid back.”

While the NBA and NHL have taken similar steps, MLB’s move adds tension to an already-fraught political environment ahead of the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

Teams have increasingly leveraged the salary-depressing mechanisms in baseball’s contract structure when players are in their first six years, while putting less money into free agency.

The tension between the players and teams was further heightened when now ex-Mariners President Kevin Mather openly admitted to manipulating player service time last month.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Oct 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani Card Market Is Surging—With No Signs of Slowing

Cards have spiked hundreds of thousands of dollars from their initial value.
Oct 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) throws his bat after hitting a two run home run as Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) looks on during the third inning of game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.

World Series Game 5: Largest Blue Jays Audience Ever on Canadian TV

Canadian viewership continues to be a major storyline of the World Series.
Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman (55) is safe at third base after the play is reviewed against Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) in the twelfth inning during game three of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.

18-Inning World Series Game 3 Draws 17.6M Viewers in U.S. and Canada

Canadian viewership of the World Series remains solid despite an 18-inning Game 3.

World Series Games 1–2 TV Ratings Are Up With U.S., Canada Combined

U.S. viewership is expectedly down, but it is boosted significantly by Canada.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
FIFA

Saudis Awarded 2034 World Cup in Uncontested Vote

Saudi Arabia was the only option after Australia decided not to bid.
May 20, 2024

Top Sports Business Jobs This Week (May 2024)

Each week, our staff combs through the thousands of job listings from…
The stands at the Solheim Cup
September 13, 2024

LPGA Apologizes for Solheim Cup Fan Bus Debacle That Left Stands Half-Empty

The USA-Europe women’s team golf event teed off Friday morning.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

TNT Sports is going all-in on college athletics—bringing fans closer and giving brands a powerful new way to connect.
October 3, 2022

Real Madrid President Renews Call for Super League

Real Madrid’s president believes that soccer is losing ground.
August 10, 2022

PGA Tour Touts Projected Earnings to Keep Players

The PGA Tour is asking its players to consider their potential futures.
August 10, 2022

Bayern Munich to Make Growth Push in U.S. Market

Bayern Munich is looking to expand its reach in the U.S.
Nintendo-logo
August 3, 2022

Nintendo Profits Underwhelm, Switch Sales Decline

Nintendo failed to meet expectations in the company’s latest earnings report.