Source says players ask MLB for slew of financial documents

Lawyers for the baseball players’ union asked Major League Baseball to submit a slew of financial documents that detail the industry’s finances, a person familiar with the request told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday.

Baseball owners on Monday approved a proposal that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July with a regular-season schedule of about 82 games. Owners also gave the go-ahead to propose basing players’ salaries on a a 50-50 revenue split, which the union says is a salary cap and a framework players will never agree to.

The type of financial disclosure the union asked for is more common during overall collective bargaining talks, which play out for many months or years, rather than the limited negotiation time available now.

“There’s so many ways to hide the money,” Cincinnati pitcher Trevor Bauer said in a video he posted Wednesday on Twitter.

Bauer said owners could reduce ticket prices and at the same time charge more for parking garages they control through different entities that do not benefit the club.

Describing himself as being only slightly lighthearted, the outspoken 29-year-old took a shot at the baseball commissioner.

“If I’m going to have to trust my salary to Rob Manfred marketing the game to make more money for the game, I am out on that,” Bauer said. “Let me market the game and we’ll all make more money.”