Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports
According to Ken Rosenthal’s report for The Athletic, published on Saturday evening, owners from all thirty Major League Baseball teams are set to take part in a conference call with league officials on Monday to agree upon a proposal to present to the player’s union. If the owners agree on a plan, the presentation to the player’s union should occur on Tuesday.
Nothing is official, but MLB could start its season in July and feature a regionalized schedule.
More from @Ken_Rosenthal for @TheAthleticMLB ⤵️https://t.co/vjz10w58Bn
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 10, 2020
MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted Sunday evening regarding one of the more substantial roadblocks that owners and players may come to battle with, which is how players will be paid for a condensed season like any 2020 season plan would presumably feature. Prorated pay would mean players would make a portion of their salary based upon how many games are played. For example, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner is due $19M this season. Should MLB play only eighty-one games, half of the season, Turner would in-turn receive $9.5M, half of his salary.
Owners will seek less than prorated pay for players, and in fact are adamant they will not pay prorated $, saying losses would be too steep. One possible proposal: a 50/50 revenue split. Players side’s been adamant about prorated $ (half pay for 81 games). Something has to give.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 10, 2020
Some players have already spoken out against taking pay cuts due to lost revenue from empty stadiums. Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “I understand that the team and everybody is not making money on tickets, concessions, or any of that stuff. But you think about seasons where they do really well, make a ton of money, and sell out every game, we don’t get a raise just because they make a lot of money and do really well. I don’t see why we should have to take a pay cut when things are tough.”
Major League Baseball has a history of nasty financial disputes between owners and players, most notably in 1994 when baseball was stopped in August and did not return until the following year. Baseball fans will surely hope history does not repeat itself in 2020 and the two sides can reach an agreement fairly quickly.
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