MLB PLAYERS SAY THEY’LL GO 114 GAMES:
TAMPA — The owners are back on the clock. Sunday, the MLB Players Association sent a counteroffer to the league that would include 114 games for a season that would begin on June 30 and not end until Halloween, according to multiple reports.
The negotiations to try to restart baseball after an 11-week shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic have slowed down as the players and owners try to negotiate the tricky financial issues of a season that is likely to be played without fans in the ballparks. The owners, who claim they will lose $640,000 per game without the revenue from tickets, parking and concessions, had suggested a sliding scale for paying players over an 82-game season. Their proposal would have the top players in the game taking an almost 80% salary cut, while players making the Major League minimum would be made closer to whole.
The union shot that down quickly.
“After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players, there's no reason to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions,” Nationals ace and union executive subcommittee member Max Scherzer wrote in a statement released on social media at the time. “We have previously negotiated a pay cut in the version of prorated salaries, and there's no justification to accept a 2nd pay cut, based on the current information the union has received. I'm glad to hear other players voicing that same viewpoint and believe MLB's economic strategy would completely change if all documentation were to become public.”
As a potential incentive for the owners, the players' union proposed two years of expanded playoffs — where the owners make their money. They also proposed the potential of $100 million in deferred salaries if the 2020 postseason is canceled, which is a concern with the warnings about a second wave of the coronavirus coming in the fall.
The union also proposed an optout for players who do not want to play this season, allowing players who are “high risk” or have underlying conditions to still receive a salary. Others would just receive service time.
The financial agreement to get the 2020 season on track was always considered the trickiest, considering the bitterness on both sides over the last few collective bargaining agreements. As Scherzer said, the players do not trust the owners' financial numbers. Only one team, the Atlanta Braves, is a publicly owned corporation and that is required to open its books.
Players are also angered by the last few winters of a free-agent market squeeze. While superstars, like the Yankees' new ace Gerrit Cole, have signed record contracts, the “middle-class” players have been squeezed out of the game.
But there is growing pressure for the sides to get a deal done. The NHL's negotiations to play a postseason after being shut down in early March have been quiet and seem on track. The NBA has also had rather amicable negotiations with its players about a possible restart.
Baseball also still has some health and safety issues to overcome.