Former Major League Baseball star Nick Swisher is calling for a salary floor as a potential solution to the looming collective bargaining agreement negotiations between owners and the Players Association. With the current agreement set to expire in approximately three and a half months, Swisher expressed concern that both sides are currently "speaking two different languages," potentially jeopardizing the sport's recent attendance boom.
"I think just in general, the players have a lot of things that they can give, and I think the commissioner's office has some things that they can give, too," Swisher told Fox News Digital. "So, I think one of the things that I've always realized, especially now being in the business world, is you can't go into a negotiation trying to win. That always ends up bad."
The league has experienced increased attendance for three consecutive years, a trend Swisher fears could be reversed if a work stoppage occurs, similar to the aftermath of the 1994 players' strike that led to a grim attendance in 1995. Owners have proposed a salary cap for the first time since 1994, a move players reportedly oppose.
Swisher, who has experience on both sides of the game as a former player and now in a front office role, suggests a salary floor as an alternative to a cap. He believes that mandating a minimum spending level for teams could help level the playing field and ensure that more players on rosters earn competitive wages.
"You can't have teams paying $60 million a year, because statistically, it shows that those low-market teams don't make it very far into the playoffs. That's just statistics," Swisher explained. "But I think just in general, if you all of a sudden start bringing that floor into play and then all of a sudden the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th guy on the roster is all of a sudden making some good money, I think that both sides have some things to give and take and I hope that it works itself out."
He urged both MLB interim executive director Bruce Meyer and Commissioner Rob Manfred to prioritize reaching an agreement to maintain the current positive momentum in the sport. "Man, we're in such a great spot right now. We need to continue to keep this game going because I don't want it to stop because when it stops, the fans, they get angry about that," Swisher said. "We just need to continue to keep push forward and try and figure out how to make this happen."
Swisher's comments come after he participated in the Yankees' Old Timers' Day and a promotional event for Angry Orchard, where he played with a local adult softball team. He emphasized the importance of investing in both winners and underdogs, a philosophy he hopes extends to the ongoing labor discussions in MLB.