MLB Players Union Reportedly Skeptical of Owners' Financial Motives Regarding Plan to Start 2020 Season
By Thomas Carannante
During a time in which players would be risking their livelihood and remain apart from their families for an extended period of time, it's hard to fault them for their concerns with financials when it pertains to the 2020 MLB season.
While the two sides are expected to speak more about safety protocols if the league were to start back up in early July, a lot of the buzz we've heard focused on the revenue split and prorated contracts. It seems trivial, but all the players want is transparency. Is that too much to ask for?
According to a union insider, players would be more willing to consider a revenue-sharing idea if owners were more forthcoming and opened their books — something players think owners are scared to do: https://t.co/kiHD6eKfgI
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) May 13, 2020
The MLBPA wants to see the books, profits, etc. throughout the season to make sure there's no shady business going down behind closed doors. Given the debacle we saw with free agency in 2017 and 2018, it's reasonable to want ownership to be an open book, especially if you're bending in their direction.
The revenue split has become a big topic of conversation because it appears as if the owners are not willing to pay prorated salaries due to the fact games could be played in 2020 without fans, which would obviously deliver a crushing blow to revenue. But guess what? The cat's already out of the bag in that regard.
Also, the source said, MLB told the union in March that if it agreed to prorated salaries, the league would be able to function w/o fans in the stands. The source said the union would never have thought to agree to the deal to cut their own salaries if it wasn't presented to them
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) May 13, 2020
That came directly from MLB Chief Legal Officer Dan Halem. So what's the problem now? The league wants to expand the playoffs this year too, which would increase revenue elsewhere via television deals.
It's definitely valid for us to think, "Why are millionaires overly concerned about being paid during times like these?" Then again, most MLB players are not paid like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. And at the end of the day, the owners are multi-billionaires. The MLBPA certainly fights for the highest-paid players in order to set a standard, but this battle is likely for those making less money.
And when you consider the fact that the average MLB salary has decreased over the last two years (there have only been FIVE such instances in baseball history where that's happened!) despite record profits, then you can understand why this is a bigger topic than you think it should be.