Preparing to hear a hollow ‘Play ball!’
Major League Baseball owners have scheduled a conference call Monday to decide their next course of action in the labor dispute with players, a person with knowledge of the owners’ plans told USA TODAY. That person requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
But it’s clear after 10 weeks of futile negotiations the owners have no choice but to agree with the players union. The negotiations are over.
It’s time to let Commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally implement the 2020 season, beginning in mid-July, ending on Sept. 27, and lasting 50 to 60 games.
The players will be paid their full pro rata salary.
The owners will get a shortened regular season and all the postseason money, with the playoff format remaining at 10 teams, with no expansion.
And the fans will see a game stripped of all of its joy and exuberance.
The words, “Play Ball!’’ will never feel so hollow.
“It’s a shame it came to this,’’ the person said, “but it’s over. It’s time to move on. What are you going to do?’’
The Major League Baseball Players Association informed MLB Saturday night they are done negotiating and want an answer by Monday on how many games they’ll play and when to show up for work. The owners are expected to reiterate the same message.
“It’s now become apparent that these efforts have fallen upon dead ears,’’ Tony Clark, executive director of the MLBPA, said in a statement. “In recent days, owners have decried the supposed unprofitability of owning a baseball team and the Commissioner has repeatedly threatened to schedule a dramatically shortened season unless players agree to hundreds of millions in further concessions. Our response has been consistently that such concessions are unwarranted, would be fundamentally unfair to players, and our sport deserves the fullest 2020 season possible.
“It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.’’
The union will now wait for Manfred to give the official word, order everyone to report to spring training in about 10 days, starting the season around July 20, with the players paid at a prorated basis, collecting about 32% of their original paychecks.
“We have been consistent and upfront about everything from the beginning,’’ said St. Louis Cardinals veteran reliever Andrew Miller, a member of the union’s executive committee. “We want to play and have made that abundantly clear. It’s clear the negotiations were not being productive, and it was time to put the ball into the hands of MLB to let us know when we should come to work.”
No expanded postseason. No broadcast enhancements. No cooperation.
And perhaps plenty of players who may simply decide to sit out the season and rejoin their teams for spring training next season.
“We were supposed to negotiate in good faith after giving the players a full year of service time, which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars’’ Chicago White Sox executive Dennis Gilbert said. “But they started off at 100% pro rata salaries. Here we are, nearly two months later, and they’re still at 100% full pro rata salaries. Where is the good faith in that?’’
In a letter lead union attorney Bruce Meyer sent to deputy commissioner
Dan Halem, he reiterated the players will not take any pay cut from their prorated salaries, particularly in light of a news report that MLB has agreed to a lucrative contract extension with Turner Sports, increasing the annual fees from $325 million to nearly $470 million. The deal has yet to be finalized and will not be in effect until 2022 once the owners approve it, two high-ranking officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations said, and will have no impact on this year’s economic losses.
“We have made clear numerous times that players are not willing to accept less than their full prorated salaries for playing games,’’ Meyer said in a letter obtained by USA TODAY. “Your recitation of the March Agreement and negotiations leading up to it is both inaccurate and largely irrelevant.”
“Your failure to produce numerous categories of documents that would allow us to validate your claims provided further confirmation of our position. For example, we still have never received unredacted RSN and national TV contracts or sponsorship agreements, the details of ongoing discussions with TV networks and sponsors, or projections of the value of any expanded playoffs.”
The union believes baseball should be played into November, despite MLB’s insistence that doctors and medical experts have warned them of a second wave of the virus, which potentially would cancel the postseason, and a loss of about $900 million.
“Your refusal to play games in October is purportedly based primarily on concern for player health,’’ the letter continues. “We believe this is a pretext. We note that we requested information at our May 31 meeting on any basis for not playing games in October. You agreed to provide such information but we have yet to receive it. Other leagues are planning on playing in October and November, and we have proposed having the flexibility to play games at neutral sites if necessary to address any safety concerns.
“Players remain united in their stance that a day’s work is worth a day’s pay, particularly ... where players and their families are being asked to take on additional burdens and risks.
“We demand that you inform us of your plans by close of business on Monday, June 15.’’
Major League Baseball responded: “We are disappointed that the MLBPA has chosen not to negotiate in good faith over resumption of play after MLB has made three successive proposals that would provide players, clubs and our fans with an amicable resolution to a very difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The MLBPA understands that the agreement reached on March 26th was premised on the parties’ mutual understanding that the players would be paid their full salaries only if play resumed in front of fans, and that another negotiation was to take place if clubs could not generate the billions of dollars of ticket revenue required to pay players.
“The MLBPA’s position that players are entitled to virtually all the revenue from a 2020 season played without fans is not fair to the thousands of other baseball employees that clubs and our office are supporting financially . ... We will evaluate the union’s refusal to adhere to the terms of the March Agreement, and after consulting with ownership, determine the best course to bring baseball back to our fans.”
So there will be baseball, but the joy of a 2020 season has vanished in a sea of emails and Zoom that culminates in open hostility, resentment, rage and distrust.
Play ball!
Like it or not.