As owners and players prepare for the looming start of collective bargaining negotiations, Angels owner Arte Moreno signaled Wednesday that the future of the luxury tax could be a source of tension among owners.
The luxury tax -- officially known as the competitive balance tax (CBT) -- is baseball's alternative to a salary cap. Teams can spend whatever they like, but they are taxed on payrolls above a defined level.
That level has risen from $117 million in 2003 to $189 million in 2014, where it remains. Since the current system was adopted in a collective bargaining agreement that took effect in 2003, the level has never decreased from one year to the next.