Negotiations appear over between Major League Baseball and its Players Association, two sides so overcome by animus that an agreed-upon regular season of a substantial length feels impossible.
In a scathing statement that announced the union’s rejection of the league’s proposal for an 82-game season, union chief Tony Clark said “further dialogue with the league would be futile.”
“It’s time to get back to work,” Clark wrote. “Tell us where and when.”
The union’s rejection puts the onus onto commissioner Rob Manfred, who possesses authority to implement a shortened season of around 50 games in the absence of any agreement. Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., the team’s union representative, joined a chorus of big leaguers who took to Twitter fed up with the public back-and-forth.
“We want to play for the prorated amount of salary we agreed to receive... OMG HOW TERRIBLE OF US,” McCullers tweeted at an irate fan on Saturday. "We are legitimately asking for the MLB to dictate & (implement) the season, like ASAP. We are done negotiating. We want to play and are asking for that.”
Clark’s statement seems to all but acknowledge this course of action — one neither side really wants, but may be forced to accept. According to ESPN, the union demanded Manfred inform players of his plans by Monday. In a statement late Saturday night, Major League Baseball chided the union for choosing "not to negotiate in good faith."
On Saturday, Clark wrote the union’s focus since March has been “playing the fullest season possible, as soon as possible, as safely as possible.” The two sides have since been entangled in an ugly battle of public bickering over salary, a putrid look amid a global pandemic and skyrocketing unemployment.
“Players agreed to billions in monetary concessions,” Clark wrote Saturday. “In the face of repeated media leaks and misdirection we made additional proposals to inject new revenues into the industry — proposals that would benefit the owners, players, broadcast partners, and fans alike.”
“It’s now become apparent that these efforts have fallen on deaf ears."
An agreement between players and owners on March 26 promised full prorated salaries if the 2020 season resumed. When it became apparent fans would not be allowed into stadiums, owners backed off that pledge, asking for further salary cuts to offset expected gate revenue losses.
"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," MLB said in its statement. "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."
Manfred guaranteed baseball’s return last week in two separate interviews, threatening to impose the truncated season if the owners and players union could not find common ground.
The exact number of games is unknown — reports peg it anywhere from 48 to 54 games — but the length is wholly unsubstantial for a sport that normally plays a 162-game slate. There is an expectation that, once Manfred implements the season, the union will file a grievance claiming the league did not attempt to play as many games as possible.
The proposal’s rejection on Saturday was expected. Owners offered an 82-game season with 70 percent of prorated salaries. Players have reiterated numerous times they will not accept anything less than 100 percent prorated salaries, galvanizing around the issue with a collective bargaining agreement looming after the 2021 season.
“Our response has been consistent that such (salary) concessions are unwarranted, would be fundamentally unfair to players and that our sport deserves the fullest 2020 season possible,” Clark wrote. “These remain our positions today.”
News on Saturday of a new billion dollar deal between the league and Turner Sports for postseason broadcast rights only inflamed the already-existing animosity. Clark said in his statement the union requested that information from the league “weeks ago.” It was not provided.
“As a result,” Clark wrote, “it unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile.”
Added MLB: "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.”
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Players to MLB: Tell us when, where to show up as negotiations end - Houston Chronicle
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