MLB Owners Reportedly Schedule Meeting With Rob Manfred to Discuss New Financial Plan Tuesday
By Michael Luciano
MLB's 2020 season has had trouble getting off the ground, and when all is said and done, coronavirus might not be the main culprit in the delay. Rather, a dispute between the MLBPA and the owners over how players will be paid could force the cancellation of the season if a deal isn't struck soon.
In a positive update, the owners have scheduled a meeting with commissioner Rob Manfred, as they try to come up with a revenue plan that the players will accept.
BREAKING—@MLB owners sked 1pm meeting Tues w @RobManfred for new economic plan to be presented to @MLB_PLAYERS. Details sketchy on how owners will tweak 50 50 rev split for 2020 pandemic shortened season. That said we will know in days whether there will be a season @FoxBusiness
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) May 24, 2020
Players are upset over the previously-floated (but never proposed) 50/50 revenue split, as they had agreed to a deal in March that stated their salaries would be prorated based on the number of games they played. MLBPA president Tony Clark has said he is refusing to accept any deal that involves tying player salaries to revenue, especially if there are no fans in the stands.
Manfred wants to get his sport back up and running to avoid hemorrhaging money, so maybe he can help ease tensions between the owners and the union.
MLB club figures suggest they’ll lose big $ this year in any scenario. Even in extreme hypothetical of playing 82 games and paying players zero, owners say they lose $1.5-2B. Players counter saying teams had made big $ every year (29 of 30 made $ in ‘19, via Forbes; not Miami).
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 23, 2020
The fate of the 2020 hangs in the balance of a contentious negotiation between the league and the union over how a revenue split will be divided out. All we as fans can do is cross our fingers and hope that cooler heads prevail.
Both parties are extremely motivated to make that happen.