MLBPA

New York Yankees fans continue to wait for the outcome of the MLB MLBPA (players union) negotiations to have some kind of baseball season this year.  With the latest news, we will continue to wait as the situation seems to get more contentious with each passing day.  The players union rejected the final offer from MLB and left it up to Commissioner Rob Manfred to impose a schedule.  He said there would be baseball 100% but now has suggested the season could be canceled. Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Atlantic report:

“Sources told The Athletic that the commissioner’s office is loathe to impose a season on players against their will when the Players Association likely would counter such a move by filing a claim for financial damages. The league’s goal, according to one source, remains unchanged: To negotiate a resolution that is satisfactory to both parties.”

Five days ago on ESPN, Manfred was adamant that there would be a baseball season.  He said, “I can tell you unequivocally we are going to play Major League Baseball this year.” He put the chances then, at “100 percent.” But yesterday on the same program, he retreated from that statement and raised the possibility that the season would be canceled instead.

Upon hearing that the MLBPA executive director ex-Yankee Tony Clark had this to say:

“Players are disgusted that after Rob Manfred unequivocally told players and fans that there would 100 percent be a 2020 season, he has decided go to back on his word and is now threatening to cancel the entire season,” Clark said Monday. “This latest threat is just one more indication that Major League Baseball has been negotiating in bad faith since the beginning. This has always been about extracting additional pay cuts from players and this is just day and another bad-faith tactic in their ongoing campaign.”

MLB deputy commissioner Dan Halem in a seven-page letter to the players union listed a host of issues the league seeks the union’s approval on for a 2020 season, including on-field rules, scheduling details, start dates and the postseason player pool — issues laid out in the now-infamous March agreement between the parties. The letter noted that some unnamed 40-man roster players and staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

All of this posturing seems less like an effort to have a baseball season, but more of an attempt to prevent a players union grievance in case MLB implements a season or cancels it entirely. If a grievance is filed it would be mediated by an independent arbitrator.

On both sides of this dispute on getting a season going, both the owners are dug in on the players accepting more pay cuts and the players that they will not accept any further cuts in per gameplay.  It all centers around as pointed out in Halem’s letter; “it is clear to us that our dispute over the meaning of the March Agreement remains an impediment to resumption of play.”

At the time of the now-famous March Agreement, the players agreed to take a 50% pay cut as it appeared there would be a season that would be only half of the regular season in length. But at the same time, MLB made it clear to Tony Clark, and other player union executives that there would have to be further negotiations should the coronavirus situation change. However, it was not specified in the contract.

At the time of that contract, it was not known that a season of any length would be played with no fans in the stands, meaning no ticket revenue or concession sales for the owners of MLB’s 30 Pro teams.  Approximately a third of all owner revenue comes from those to revenue streams.  They need that money to pay players, which is the most significant expense for owners.

The owners (MLB) may be asking the players to share too much in those losses, but at the same time, the players are dug in and refuse to recognize that the owners will suffer more losses with each additional game played. That is where the negotiations stand, a stalemate that makes a season less likely with each passing day.

New York Yankees fans just want to watch some baseball in whatever form they offer.  But MLB and the players dropped the ball.  The two sides, extravagantly paid said they just couldn’t come to a compromise on how much each side of the negotiations would lose.  So who is the loser in all of this? My friends, it’s everybody!  The owners, the players, the fans, and yes, all of baseball.

All of baseball has a giant black eye that will not soon fade. So whose fault is it?  It’s surely not the fans that pay $65 for a seat and buy $8 hot dogs.  It’s not the fans that watch every game on TV and increase the Nielson ratings that bring in billions for owners and players alike. It’s the fault of the heavy hand of Commissioner Rob Manfred, and how he overplayed his hand, and the players who failed to compromise, some that earn more to play one three hour game than most Americans make in one year.

So who are the losers?  Everybody! The fans lose that love baseball and are suffering from the coronavirus scare, those that are unemployed, and all of us that are viewing political and racial unrest in the streets.  If as threatened, there is no season the players and the owners will lose more than they would have in any compromise.  And this writer loses.  As a writer, I want to write about that mammoth home run by Aaron Judge, or that fantastic stretch that Urshela made for the out, or that DJ LeMahieu always seems to get on base.  I don’t want to write about this crap, it sucks.

What few realize is the damage that is being done to a sport that is a perennial summer pastime.  The last super high Nielson ratings for MLB were in 1978.  The 2019 season was one of the least viewed in years.  So who is listening, surely not Rob Manfred or players union head Tony Clark?  Baseball as a sport is drifting away and nobody seems to care except the fans.  And, even the fans are disgusted and starting to turn away in droves.

All you have to do is view the Twitter and Instagram accounts.  According to who you read, fans are crucifying Rob Manfred and to a lesser degree the players and the union.

Ken Rosenthal of The Atlantic had this to say:

The players are going to get what they wanted most, 100 percent of their prorated salaries. Barring a last-minute surprise, they also will get a 2020 season that is too short for anyone who loves the sport, and less money than they could have earned if they had agreed to pay cuts in a greater number of games.

I do not blame the players for objecting to cuts or taking a stand in response to years of perceived slights by Major League Baseball and its clubs. If commissioner Rob Manfred imposes a season of 50-odd games, that decision will reflect poorly on him and his owners. But still it’s fair to wonder: Where exactly is the Players Association going with this?

Jess Passan of ESPN reported:

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN on Monday that he is “not confident” there will be a 2020 baseball season and that “as long as there’s no dialogue” with the MLB Players Association, “that real risk is going to continue.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred said:

“It’s just a disaster for our game, absolutely no question about it. It shouldn’t be happening, and it’s important that we find a way to get past it and get the game back on the field for the benefit of our fans,” he said.

Players union head Tony Clark said:

“Players are disgusted that after Rob Manfred unequivocally told Players and fans that there would ‘100%’ be a 2020 season, he has decided to go back on his word and is now threatening to cancel the entire season. “This latest threat is just one more indication that Major League Baseball has been negotiating in bad faith since the beginning. This has always been about extracting additional pay cuts from Players and this is just another day and another bad faith tactic in their ongoing campaign.”

Meanwhile, New York Yankees fans sit back and have no clue if there will be a baseball season or not.  If social media means anything, all fans are beginning to care less and less as this dog and pony show goes on and on.  If MLB and MLBPA are listening, you need to get your act together and think of the fans for once and less about yourselves or you will have fewer and fewer fans and less and less pay and revenue than you are quibbling about now.

New York Yankees fans will see the shortest baseball season ever. MLB and the MLBPA (players union) have failed to negotiate a baseball season that will be shortened due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yesterday the union leader executive director, former Yankee Tony Clark, announced that they would no longer negotiate with the owners.  Baseball has gone off the cliff and will not get to explore what’s at the bottom of that cliff.

With the failure of the negotiations, it will lead Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to issue a back to work order and impose a baseball season more to the liking of the owners than the players.  The details of what that imposition will look like will most likely be issued soon as any season is slipping away.

In summary, back in early March, the owners and players agreed to a plan that would see players receive a 50% pro-rata pay cut based on an 82 game season. Although not in the contract agreement, the owners made it clear that further negotiations may be necessary as the coronavirus would determine what kind of 2020 baseball season could be had. According to the owners, when President Trump issued a national emergency, that contract became null and void.

The owners proposed several proposals to start a baseball season of different lengths and with different pay cuts to be suffered by the players and losses that would be endured by the owners due to no fans in the stands and no concession sales.  Little progress was made during over a month of MLB and MLBPA talks. MLB issued their latest and final offer to the players on Friday.  After a conference call with over 100 players, that final offer was rejected.

Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported additional comments by the players union:

“It unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement. “It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.”

The league responded in a statement Saturday night: “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 26 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 league said. “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 during this very difficult 2020 season. 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.”

The March agreement between the parties empowers commissioner Rob Manfred to set the number of games as long as the league awards the players their full prorated salaries, with the caveat that the league makes its best effort to make the schedule as long as possible.

If Manfred does impose a season, the players will make their full pro-rata salaries for the number of games he decides upon, which is likely to be in the area of 50 games.   Whatever he decides, the union has given MLB until Monday night to provide the details.

The nation is enduring health issues and restrictions due to the coronavirus, has unrest in the streets, and 25% of workers unemployed. The lack of the two sides to come to a compromise and get a baseball season going for fans dedicated to the sport has created a big black eye on a sport that has seen a 14% decline in the past several years.

The ill will between the sides may very well rear it’s ugly head again, leading to a shortened 2022 season as well.  The present CBA (collective bargaining agreement) ends on December 21, 2021.  The players union believes that the owners have had the upper hand in the last CBA and is not likely to give up any gains it has gotten in past years.  With the present inability to reach an agreement, that contentiousness could continue into the next CBA and cause a baseball strike.

At some point, both the MLBPA and the owners have got to consider what is best for baseball as a sport and less about the billions in owner profits and player salaries.  If they don’t, the future of baseball will be in doubt as more and more fans turn away to other pastimes.

The New York Yankees fans and all the fans of the “boys of summer” are beginning to wonder if the two sides in the negotiations will ever come together in time for an MLB season.  The MLBPA (players union) accepted a proposal to accept a 50% pay cut for an 82 game season back in March.  In further negotiations after the coronavirus caused the shutdown to last beyond the original delay and owners found out the games would be held with no fans in the stands, they have constantly wanted the players to share in the loss over the original agreement.

The back and forth has gone on for several weeks with no progress.  The owners want less regular-season games to cut their losses.  The players want more games to increase their pay.  The players have cited the risk involved playing during the coronavirus pandemic.  MLB has bent over backward to address health concerns.  They presented a 67-page health initiative addressing everything from how many can be in the dugout to the players having to shower in hotels.  The plan also covered the extensive daily testing all team personnel would undergo.

The health plan was mostly accepted by the union with more refinements to be made before play resumes.  That leaves money as the stumbling block. Recently the players demanded a 114 game season.  The owners rejected that and came back with a threat- like 40 game season with players having to take massive cuts in pay, as much as a 75% reduction for the highest-paid players.

The players then wanted an 89 game season while earning the full pro-rata pay.  Constantly the players have rejected all the owner’s attempts to get them to share in losses. Today the owners are making an olive branch offer for 70-75 games with players receiving 80% of their pro-rata salaries.  The plan also calls for an expanded postseason. MLB also outlined the elimination of direct draft-pick compensation for free agents tagged with qualifying offers; teams losing top free agents would get a compensatory draft pick, but those signing such free agents would not be penalized by having to give up a top pick.

Also in the proposal is that the players will get a share of the playoff pool in the postseason. This new proposal being presented today according to ESPN’s Karl Ravecho is the third such offer this week.  All back and forth, while baseball fans just want to watch some baseball.  But time is quickly running out to have a viable season.  If an agreement acceptable to both sides can’t be reached, Commission Rob Manfred will most likely impose a season of a certain number of games starting on a certain date.  At that point, the players can accept it and move on to getting spring training 2.0 going, or they can reject it and go on strike.  Could we see 1994 all over again?

With the present situation in the country, the virus, the unemployment, and the unrest caused by racial injustice and police use of force, it’s a very different situation than that of 1994.  The country needs sports now for a diversion more than ever before. Both MLB and MLBPA needs to think about the fans and reputation of the game.  Damage has already been done; no season will not be soon forgiven.

While New York Yankees fans just want to watch some baseball this season, the MLB negotiations stalemate seems to make that less likely with each passing day.  The negotiations are in their fourth week, with little progress made.  Fans and this writer are starting to find it annoying when each plan and counterplan goes nowhere.

The newest MLB plan unveiled yesterday for a 76 game if not already rejected; it surely will be.  I’m not going to get into details, because they are boring. The owners want the players to earn less than originally agreed upon and the players headed by ex-Yankee Tony Clark want more dollars for a coronavirus shortened season.  With so many plans put forth and so many rejections, what is the underlying cause of the inability to reach a compromise?  It’s really pretty simple; neither side trusts each other.

To understand this fully, you have to look back to the 1970s and 1980s.  First, the owners wanted to institute a salary cap for players.  That was immediately rejected by the MLBPA (players union).  Many attempts since then have also been rejected. Even the most recent owner’s attempt for a revenue-sharing agreement.  The union saw that as a way to institute a salary cap and was proclaimed “dead on arrival.”

Back in 1980, the MLB owners were forced to pay $280 million to the union after the owners were found guilty of conspiring to avoid competitive bidding for players.  These are just two of the reasons that the players union is skeptical of the owners.  The fact that the owners now keep presenting the same deal worded differently over and over again isn’t building any new trust either as the players feel the owners aren’t acting in good faith.

There are parallels here to the negotiations during the 1994 season.  That ended up in the players going on strike that lasted into the 1995 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred has greatly underestimated players head, Tony Clark, thinking he could just steamroll the players.  If history proves anything its that will not happen.  Owners provide a venue, players provide the talent. Without the talent there is no baseball, and all sides lose.

As the seasonless days of baseball pass by, even the most optimistic reporters on the game are coming to the reality that there may be no baseball season this year.  If the sides can somehow form some trust in each other and reach a split down the middle compromise on money issues, there may still be baseball in 2020.  If that can’t happen, Manfred could use a heavy hand an put forth a 48 game season that the players must play.  Has neither side learned anything from 1994?

Although Manfred has the ultimate final say in what the MLB baseball season will look like, the players in the negotiations actually have the heavier hand.  A baseball strike is their option to not allow a deal, not to their liking from being shoved down their throats.  With each passing day, a 2020 baseball season becomes less likely.  It’s time for all of baseball to wakeup, smell the roses, and realize what the sport means to all of America in these troublesome times.  Take your losses now and hope American forgives you.

The baseball world went on hold almost three months ago, and New York Yankee fans and fans of all of MLB are still waiting to see the “boys of summer” play.  Other sports, NHL, NBA, and NFL, are all planning for getting their high contact sports going, but is the non-contact sport of baseball ready to drive off a cliff?  It appears so, were no lessons learned from 1994?

MLB and MLBPA (players union) and been in mudslinging mode for three weeks now with a resolution to issues seemingly not on the horizon, not to be anywhere near close. All this contentiousness while the baseball season is quickly slipping away.  A July 4th start of a shortened season now seems a thing of the past.  Yes, it’s about the coronavirus, but mostly it’s only about money.

Are these sides so blind that they don’t see the irreparable damage that will be done to their careers and the reputation of baseball?  Were no lessons learned when the 1994 season was canceled?  In the 1980s, baseball was America’s sport.  After lost revenues, lost fans, and a loss of respect for the sport, baseball never came back from that, and Football took over as the number one sport.  Just in the past few years, with all the young players entering the sport, the pastime was gaining a revival.  Are the players and owners going to let that hope disappear into oblivion?

For players, this will be a season they will never get back in their short playing careers.  MLB is not a sport you play into your sixties.  The average player career is 5.6 years, according to a study.  Yes, there are some that play for 15 or even 20 years but that is not the norm.  For these players, a loss of a season’s pay is nothing to be sneezed at; they will never get that back.

For owners, most will survive and live on to sell that $ 9 beer and hot dogs that can cost as much as $7, but the damage will already be done as fans become reluctant to pay $65 for that seat and the $15 parking fee to see a game they have lost respect for.  After 1994 and the canceled World Series, the fans never came back to past numbers.  A canceled 2020 season will not be easily forgotten by MLB fans. It could even put some teams in jeopardy.

No season is not going to benefit either side of the negotiations.  No one in the talks is acting in good faith.  Owners continue to make proposals they know the players won’t accept, players, refuse to budge on their demands.  At this point, both sides have to realize this is not 1994; it’s 2020 when fans have been quarantined for months from a dread virus, 41 million Americans are out of work, and there is unrest in the streets.  American needs baseball, and they need it now.

Jason Stark, the senior baseball writer for The Atlantic, recently wrote:

When you disappear off the face of the sporting earth for a year and a half, you’re just inviting people to go do something else, watch something else, care about something else. Many of those people never find their way back. Why should they? Why would they?

Baseball, are you listening?

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s Columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.  Follow me on Twitter @parleewilliam.