MLB Players Still Hold All the Power Because the Owners Stand to Lose a Lot More Money With No Season
By Jerry Trotta
Baseball fans were likely left feeling discouraged following Tuesday's meeting between owners and players, which concluded with another cheap offer from the former. However, there's hope to be had in the fact that owners stand to lose A LOT more money -- close to $4 billion, to be exact -- if the 2020 season isn't carried out.
While there's no chance the latest proposal is ratified, the players still hold all the leverage. This leads us to believe that the owners will eventually cave and conjure up a blueprint that leads to a compromise.
Here is the updated news story with @JesseRogersESPN that covers the entirety of the league’s economic proposal, how it would work, what it says and how players reacted. Enjoy at @espn: https://t.co/1ZUgA01MNU
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 27, 2020
Future proposals wold set the stage for more rounds of squabbling, but it's fair to presume that the worst of the bickering is in the rearview. The owners forfeiting $4 billion just to feel assured that their dominance over the players is asserted is nonsensical. While everyone involved is slated to lose money, owners and their clubs would bear the brunt of the hit -- as they should considering they're mostly multi-billionaires.
Why make things way worse just to make the players feel insignificant?
The idea of the highest-paid players potentially giving up something so that those who make less can reap the benefits isn’t inherently wrongheaded. But this — this felt absolutely egregious to players. And it’s why their counter, whenever it comes, won’t look anything like this.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 27, 2020
Owners need the players to avoid this massive projected loss. Being stubborn might look smart from a negotiation standpoint, but the owners will be the biggest losers when all is said and done if their stinginess prevents the 2020 season from restarting.