A-Rod draws union’s ire after his comments about MLB economics

Alex Rodriguez, among four groups of bidders for a possible purchase of the New York Mets, called for players accept the type of revenue-sharing system that is tied to a salary cap and sparked quick opposition from the union.

Following the collapse of labor talks dealing with the fallout of the pandemic, relations between Major League Baseball and the players’ association are at the lowest point in a quarter-century. The sides appear headed to a spring training lockout in 2022.

Preparing for the start of his third season as an analyst on ESPN’s Sunday night telecasts, Rodriguez said players’ leverage had changed since they fought off the owners’ salary-cap proposal with a 7½-month strike in 199495. He said the rise of the NFL and NBA had changed the equation along with digital media, and said the players’ association should work collaboratively with MLB to raise the sport’s market share.

“The only way it’s going to happen is if they get to the table and say the No. 1 goal, let’s get from $10 to $15 billion and then we’ll split the economics evenly,” he said Thursday.“But that’s the type of conversation instead of fighting and fighting against each other because there’s too much competition out there right now.”

Rodriguez made about $448 million in his big league career.

“Alex benefited as much as anybody from the battles this union fought against owners’ repeated attempts to get a salary cap,” union head Tony Clark said. “Now that he is attempting to become an owner himself his perspective appears to be different. And that perspective does not reflect the best interests of the players.”