Another proposal, another rejection, and finally, another proposal.
The MLB’s most recent offer was rejected once again by the players, as the league had offered a 76 game season with a 50% guaranteed prorated salary.
The players union didn’t need much time to counter-offer the league, with a couple of changes.
- 89 Game regular season
- Full prorated share of salary with expanded playoffs
- High-risk opt-out clause for players
- $50M postseason player pool
The season would start July 10 thru October 11, would include an expanded playoff bracket in 2020 and 2021, with 8 teams representing each league.
The amount of games offered by the players has been much higher than what the MLB proposes. The league’s first offer had 82 games which was countered with a 114 game proposal by the players. The MLBPA is now just 13 games from the MLB’s offer at 76, which means the gap is closing on the number of games waiting to be played by both sides.
The league would like a shorter season to help avoid getting caught up in the middle of the second wave of coronavirus cases across the country, which means the shorter season would help get the games played and get the season over with as soon as possible.
The players never had an issue playing the games, it’s always been about the money.
The league’s offer of a 50% guaranteed prorated salary with the option to reach 75% wasn’t good enough for the players. In each of the union’s offers, the players earn their full prorated salary, but the owners have obviously not been on the same page.
The owners feel as though they wouldn’t be able to support a long season with no fans in the stands since the salaries of the players are supported by ticket sales.
What needs to happen is one side of the negotiations needs to make a good faith effort decision. Neither side wants to budge on the salaries, but in order to ensure that baseball season isn’t lost beyond this season, the two sides need to continue to work towards an agreement. The league has been adamant about counteroffers, saying they wouldn’t submit any other offers after their first, but seeing the owners continue to negotiate is a good sign.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred still has an ace in the hole if the two sides can’t come to an agreement. The commissioner is able to set in place a plan to play. He would be able to set a deal in which both sides would have to abide by, but seeing as he hasn’t had to step in just yet is a good sign, but it doesn’t sound like it’s completely out of the question.
The MLB and MLBPA have been back and forth over the past months, and it seems like we are finally seeing some progress as long as both sides continue to counter offer.
How long will it be until both sides strike a deal?
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