Jays’ Grichuk says MLB owners risk driving away their loyal fans
With no baseball to be played and an infuriating impasse between Major League Baseball and its players, Randal Grichuk has to get his swings in somewhere other than at the plate.
So count the Toronto Blue Jays centre-fielder among those outraged at the position of MLB owners in the protracted labour impasse that is delaying the start of the 2020 season and causing serious animosity between the sides.
The Jays’ highest-paid position player lashed out on his Twitter account over the weekend, accusing owners of essentially playing a game to guarantee a season of minimal length.
“Can (commissioner Rob Manfred) just implement the 48-game season already since we all know what he’s trying to do here,” Grichuk tweeted. “These negotiations are brutal. All the owners are doing is wasting time to get what they want. This sucks.”
Grichuk’s comment was in response to the latest offer from MLB, which called for a 72-game season with players getting 80 per cent of their pro-rated salaries.
Under that proposal, a season would begin on July 14 and end in late September leading into an expanded playoff format.
In their most recent offer, the players called for an 89-game season and salaries fully pro-rated.
But by sticking with a much shorter proposal and often taking several days before presenting a counter proposal, Grichuk feels owners are “running down the clock to get what they want.”
Grichuk’s initial post led to a lengthy back-and-forth thread on the social media site, including more commentary from the Texan.
“We want baseball back more than anything right now, but we can’t be taken advantage of in these times by billionaire owners. We hope fans realize that ... if only the owners saw it that way we would be playing right now. Very frustrating.”
Grichuk said he understands the frustration of fans as well, especially given the economic climate created by the COVID -19 pandemic. In fact, the veteran outfielder said he wouldn’t be surprised if the fan interest suffers because of the mind-boggling inability for a workable deal to be reached.
Grichuk is not alone in that view, of course. And the longer this drags on, the more baseball risks the fallout from fans remains a real threat.
“I wouldn’t be upset if all fans boycotted the game for a while or just honestly had enough,” Grichuk said. “MLB is going about this terribly and going to lose a lot of fans. I don’t know what they are thinking.
“The game has already lost tons of fans before this and will lose so many more from this. I hope the owners regret this for a long time.”
After having some solid success at the plate before spring training was shut down on March 12, Grichuk was anxious to carry that form into a 2020 season. And the longer the impasse has dragged, the more frustrated he has become.
“I don’t know how all the players are feeling but I know I miss the game more than anything right now and I wish I could be on the field competing and doing what I love,” Grichuk wrote. “Tons of players are truly sad we’re not playing. Just can’t be taken advantage of. Long history between the owners and the players.”