COVID-19 Isn’t Why There’s No Baseball

Back in early April, MLB and the MLBPA agreed to pay players a pro-rata salary for 2020. With the season shortened due to the virus, pro-rata (per game) salaries were the fairest way to go. Players would have their yearly salaries broken down to a per-game basis, getting paid for only the games actually played. Using this method would cause the players to absorb some of the losses from the virus while paying them the equivalent of their contractual salaries for actual games played. It was a win-win for both the union and the league, but then MLB reneged.

Citing lost revenue for playing in empty stadiums, Rob Manfred and the 30 MLB team owners then decided to change their offer. The league now wants to pay players on what would amount to a “profit-sharing” basis. There’s just one problem – there’ll be no profits this year and MLB knows it.

At no point during the initial talks about pro-rata salaries, was it ever assumed there’d be fans in the seats. both sides acknowledged that COVID-19 had changed baseball, but the objective (then) was to play. Apparently MLB’s bean counters figured out the full extent of the lost revenue, prompting the league back out of their original offer.

The Unofficial Labor Dispute

Players have already taken a huge hit on salaries this season. A guy who should have made $20M this year will likely have to settle for about $10M at best, and that’s if they play 81 games. Players have no intention to play for less than a prorated salary, and they shouldn’t. An agreement was made and the union has no intention of caving to the league’s latest whims.

MLB says that rather than paying prorated salaries, it would be less costly to just cancel the entire season. Where was this logic when both sides agreed to a pro-rata salary structure? So here we are, neither side can come to an acceptable salary agreement, which is why there’s no baseball being played. Sounds an awful lot like a labor dispute – aka a strike.

A friend of mine who plays for Toronto told me over a month ago that players were told to be ready to go on June 1st. That was before MLB changed their minds on how to pay players. Since that time, there’s been no word on a new report date. With both sides unwilling to budge, it’s becoming increasingly likely that there will be no baseball this season.

Scrap the Season?

The MLBPA has been chomping at the bit to get to the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will take place after the 2021 season. At issue, retirement, service time tampering and wages/working conditions for minor-leaguers, among other sticking points.

Would it be wise for both sides to forego the current CBA and use the remainder of 2020 to get a new deal in place? In any contract, as long as both sides agree, the deal can be amended or void. Maybe that’s what needs to be done here.

It’s highly likely there will be a strike after the current CBA ends. The 2020 season is already at least a 50% loss due to the pandemic. Utilize the remainder of the season and upcoming offseason to renegotiate, which would benefit both sides. Just my opinion, but I’d much rather lose an entire season than to have to endure two shortened seasons over the course of three years.

The sides are so far apart on issues that they’re already forecasting a strike after 2021. The logical solution? Hash out the issues now. The owners don’t want to pay players this year, and players don’t want to play for even further reduced salaries. Scrap the season and reset the table for 2021 and beyond.

Follow me on Twitter at @KenAllison18 and on Instagram at @Ken_Allison18. Don’t forget to follow us @OT_Heroics for more great content!

Also, be sure to check out the Overtime Heroics Forums page to join in on the discussion!