By: Adamo Marinelli
June 11th, 2020
The MLB and the MLB player’s association have made several propositions in an effort to get players back on the field and resume games. However, the MLB and its player’s association are in a standoff because the propositions made by the MLB are getting progressively worse.
On May 31st, the MLBPA proposed a 114 game season from June 30th to October 31st with playoffs in November. Every player also has the right to opt-out of the season if they do not want to play for any reason and there will be a salary deferral in case the postseason will be cut short or outright canceled. The proposal also calls for two years of expanded playoffs, and for the players to receive a $100 million advance during the second season’s spring training, which is understandable as players don’t want to risk their health for a shortened season, with possibly no playoffs.
The MLB did not like most aspects of that deal and rejected it. On June 1st, they took a substantial step in offering a deal of their own. They were willing to pay players a prorated salary for a shortened season. This would make it so players earn a percentage of their normal salary based on how many games end up being played. From a financial standpoint, this makes sense. For example, if you play half the season, 81 games, you receive half the salary you normally would. However, the owners, in an attempt to save money are calling for a season in the neighborhood of 50 games, there was a report of a season likely being 54 games. This potential short season outraged the players; 50 games is nowhere near the 114 games they wanted and they refused to risk their health for prorated salaries if the season was to be cut short meaning it would be likely no team would win the World Series.
On June 3rd, the league rejected the player’s association’s proposal of a 114 game season with expanded playoffs in future years. The league is not expected to make a counteroffer of somewhere in between 50 and 114 games. The owners prefer a short regular season so that the playoffs can be completed before November and before the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 sweeping the country. The owners also want fewer games because without fans in the stands due to social distancing regulations, owners lose a certain amount of money for each home game played and want to keep losses to a minimum. The players do not want to risk their health for a super short season, so they want to play as many games as possible, including playoffs to assure they get as much salary as possible.
On June 4th, MLBPA director Tony Clark says that players have “resoundingly rejected” the idea of taking a further pay cut and insist on taking the prorated salaries based on the number of games played if that is the best they can get. The majority of the players want to get back on the field to start the season and are willing to do so under unprecedented conditions that could affect the health and safety of themselves and their families, which is why they want the highest salary possible for 2020.
On June 8th, the MLB proposed a 76 game season to the MLBPA, but it still wants the players to take an extra pay cut on top of the pro-rated salary, something the players and player’s association have made clear that they won’t do. They are giving the MLBPA 3 days to respond to this deal. This proposal, which is nearly the same as the last one, with just a few more games, has a 76 game season finishing near the end of September and the playoffs finished at the end of October. The proposal also includes a 75% prorated salary for players, meaning they get paid for only 75% of the games played, a huge additional pay cut on top of the prorated salaries to begin with, and no draft pick compensation for signing players. The union believes the MLB’s latest offer is the worst one yet, that it took a big step backward because of the pay cut on top of the prorated salaries.
A day later, on June 9th, the MLBPA countered the MLB’s most recent offer with an 89 game season that includes full pro-rated pay - meaning players get paid based on the number of games they play; still a step back from original salaries but the best the players will get during this unprecedented time, - an expanded 16 team playoffs this season and next season in 2021. The season would run from July 10th to October 11th and the postseason would run into November something the MLB wants to avoid for many reasons such as excessive profit loss, new broadcasting deals to be negotiated, and a possible second COVID-19 wave. Finally, the proposal calls for a $5 million fund to help social justice initiatives.
The MLB didn’t agree to this deal because they want to avoid having a postseason in November for various reasons and because the MLB wants to save as much money as possible in salaries as a result of excessive revenue loss for each home game played without fans in the stands - something that is guaranteed to last for at least this season with social distancing measures.
Yesterday, on June 10th, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred guaranteed that a 2020 season will take place. With the MLB and MLBPA in constant disagreement, it is unsure how the season will end up looking, how long it will be, and how much the players will make. However, Manfred has the power to implement a regular season of 48-50 games if the MLB and MLBPA cannot reach an agreement in the next few weeks. Manfred is electing to go with a shortened season to help the managers and team owners lose the least amount of money possible, as the MLB is an asset he needs to keep liquid.
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