Entering Monday, we thought it would finally happen. MLB would push all their chips to the table for a 2020 season and the players would accept it. What we got was the complete opposite, as Owners announced today that unless players waive their grievances, their will be no MLB season.
The fallout from players and fans is that this looks like a delaying tactic, as MLB can very well play through the legal claims from players. On the players side, they have threatened to file the claims because they believe the owners have forced the shortened season on them and have “Not negotiated in good faith”, which can be true. The owners can definitely fit more than a 50 game season of full prorated salaries from mid-July until the end of September, but are purposely avoiding to do so, because they want to lose the least amount of money possible. Until last week, neither side budged from their demands, with players wanting 81+ games and full prorated salaries, while owners were only willing to give them full prorated if it was under 70 games, which wouldn’t be enough to the players for the 16 team expanded playoff the owners want as well. Finally, this Saturday the players blinked removing their demand of games and telling the owners as long as it’s under full prorated salaries, “Tell us when and where”.
But in response, the owners didn’t do any of that, bringing up the grievances the players still hold against MLB, and saying unless they take them down, no baseball will be played this season. At this point, I agree with the players as these grievances doesn’t affect the play of the 2020 season, and with the players lowering their demands and kneeling to you in terms of games, why did the owners choose now to bring up the grievances?
The logical answer is to this is they want a 50 game season, even if it means halting the talks like this. They can very well have at least a 65 game season, but like I said before, they want to lose the least money possible and pay the players the minimum amount should baseball be played in 2020. Another reason for this, is the impression of the fans. If MLB commissioner Rob Manfred just went out and promptly implemented a 50 game plan, it would look bad for the game, even though the players would accept it and play the season. Analysis and fans alike would say they could’ve went for more games at the time of the announcement, but went the other way. Now with the threatening of the grievances, it would look as if the owners and Manfred were forced to put a 50 game season to the general public.
The divide between the two sides is thick and the only way that wall can be diminished, is if they talk it out. They must all get in the room and work out their differences. The person who should be the president of the meeting is the man who has the most power in the ranks of baseball, Rob Manfred. This is his chance to save baseball and show his desire for a 2020 season. Let’s see it happen!
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