Baseball season in jeopardy as fight between owners, players gets uglier
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The MLB Players Association said it is “disgusted” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred backtracked from his assertion that there “unequivocally” would be a baseball season this summer, accusing the league of “negotiating in bad faith since the beginning.”
When asked by ESPN if there was going to be a season in its “The Return of Sports” special with the six commissioners of professional sports leagues, Manfred walked back his claim before the MLB Draft that there “100%” would be a season.
“I’m not confident,” Manfred told ESPN. “I think there’s real risk, and as long as there’s no dialogue, that real risk is gonna continue. … The owners are 100% committed to getting baseball back on the field. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’m 100% certain that’s gonna happen.”
Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/ibyOqB93WC
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 15, 2020
Manfred’s response infuriated MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, whose union rejected the owner’s latest proposal of a 72-game schedule at a guaranteed 70% prorated pay with a maximum of 83%. (Players agreed to play for a prorated share of their salaries in March).
“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,” Clark said in a statement. “Any implication that the Players Association has somehow delayed progress on health and safety protocols is completely false, as Rob has recently acknowledged the parties are ‘very, very close.’ 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 the Players and this is just another day and another bad faith tactic in their ongoing campaign.”
The MLBPA also was angered by a report from the Los Angeles Times, which cited a source that said MLB told the MLBPA in a letter “there would be no 2020 season unless the players waived any legal claims against the league.”
Source: In a letter today, MLB told the MLBPA there would be no 2020 season unless the players waived any legal claims against the league.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 15, 2020
Among the most outspoken MLB players was Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer, who questioned Manfred’s motivation and suggested he was stalling to force a shortened season upon the players.
So, Rob, explain to us how you can be 100% sure that there’s going to be baseball but not confident there will be baseball at the same time? hmmm. What changed between those statements ?? Players told you to set the season, but it’s too early to set the season right now,
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) June 15, 2020
“Because then you’d have to explain why you’re only going to impose 50 games when we could easily play 70+ right now,” Bauer tweeted. “The tactic is to bluff with ‘no season’ again and delay another 2-3 weeks until you clear the risk of “not negotiating in good faith by trying to play as many games as possible.”
These so called “negotiations” (or lack there of) have been sooo slimy, tone deaf, greedy, lying, leaking, and overall out of touch. This is not even close to what you dream of as a kid! Sorry to everyone for this playing out through the media during a pandemic. Brutal.
— Jameson Taillon (@JTaillon19) June 15, 2020
Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman also tweeted Monday night that he was “just confused” by Manfred’s message, which came only days after the MLBPA issued a statement to the owners that it was done negotiating and to “tell us when and where” to report to play.