A TLANTA – As MLB commissioner Rob Manfred looks to improve competitive balance in the league, Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLB Players Association, made his position on the possibility of a salary cap abundantly clear on Tuesday. "This is institutionalized collusion," Clark said. "That's what a salary cap is."

Looming over baseball is a likely lockout in December 2026, a possible management push for a salary cap and perhaps lost regular-season games for the first time since 1995.

Commissioner has been meeting directly with players to push his ideas, but the association says members aren't buying in.