Major League Baseball, players union reach tentative agreement to salvage 2020 season

[Edgy MD]

Well, I'd certainly support your campaign for commissioner, but that's a lot of cat herding.

[metsmarathon]

in a world where team expenses and revenues are more openly available figures, it would be more readily implementable.



unfortunately, i have a hard time thinking the players would agree to take less money when there's no guarantee that the owners are taking the same financial hit.



and i really don't trust that the teams would be terribly open to both teh amount of money they have coming in, and how much they really need to have going out.

[Frayed Knot]

I can't see the union allowing the players to take different cuts in salary -- and since the union IS the players it would have to be the players themselves agreeing to different cuts. You have to figure that they'll

be in their typical 'all for one/one for all' mode.

I mean, the NFL DID pull off a similar plan: the players' increase in salary for agreeing to a 17-game schedule was skewed towards the lower-paid players while the upper tier essentially took a pay Cut on a

per game basis (a 6.25% increase in the length of the season vs a less than that bump in pay). This was passed as it part of the new CBA which the union passed at a 51.5%/48.5% ratio in a league where

the vast majority of players are at or close to minimum wage. The stars came out against it but they're at a huge numerical disadvantage. But that union has never been even a fraction as together as the

MLBPA so the NFL was able, as usual, to get its way.

[metsmarathon]

great. so i also need to be the head of the mlbpa. another hat to wear!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Dayn Perry (whoever he is) is optimistic:



https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-could-start-2020-season-with-opening-day-by-fourth-of-july-report-says/MLB could start 2020 season with Opening Day by Fourth of July, report says



The "report" that he sites is from Ken Rosenthal in The Atlantic, and here's the part of Rosenthal's report that Perry quotes:

Ken Rosenthal wrote: "The most realistic time range for Opening Day — somewhere between mid-June and July 4, in the view of most officials — would allow for an 80- to 100-game regular season, with the schedule running through October. An expanded postseason at neutral sites might follow, with the World Series ending in late November or early December."

[G-Fafif]

Latest plan/scheme: three ten-team divisions, empty home parks, start by July 2, 100-110 games, lollipops and rainbows.



https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/28/mlb-optimistic-about-starting-season-late-june/3039275001/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/28/mlb-optimistic-about-starting-season-late-june/3039275001/

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm willing to accept a great deal of nuttiness in the 2020 season as long as there actually is a 2020 season. 40-man rosters. 7-inning games. Three ten-team leagues. Expanded playoffs. A December World Series. Tie games. Even the DH, if it's absolutely necessary. The only ideas I've seen that I really object to are starting an inning with designated base runners and, even worse, a Home Run Derby tie breaker.

[Willets Point]

I've been pushing for three regionally-aligned 10-team leagues for decades so I'm game to see how it works.



For this year, have the teams play each other 12 times each (6 at home/6 away) and you have a 108-game season ending at the start of October. I don't see why extended playoffs are necessary. Just have the top 3 teams from each division plus the 4th place team with the best record qualify for postseason and you have 10 teams as always. Seed the 1st and 2nd place teams from 1 to 6 by regular season record. The 3rd and 4th place teams play the Wild Card playoffs and then winners are seeded 7 and 8. Then you have a best-of-5 quarterfinal, best-of-7 semifinal, and best-of-7 World Series. The playoffs/World Series can still be complete by early November.

[Edgy MD]

Still, the integrity of the National And American Leagues as distinct entities, as diminished as it has been, has stood for most of baseball history, and I'd hate to dismiss it as arbitrary, even if it is, you know, kind of arbitrary.

[MFS62]

And some things will unfortunately stay the same:

https://www.sportscasting.com/maligned-umpire-angel-hernandez-might-have-blown-another-call-by-blaming-joe-torre/https://www.sportscasting.com/maligned-umpire-angel-hernandez-might-have-blown-another-call-by-blaming-joe-torre/



Later

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: Still, the integrity of the National And American Leagues as distinct entities, as diminished as it has been, has stood for most of baseball history, and I'd hate to dismiss it as arbitrary, even if it is, you know, kind of arbitrary.

Personally i'd like to completely abolish it.



it's possible we've seen the last pitcher AB.

[Frayed Knot]

=Ceetar post_id=36120 time=1588167978 user_id=102]it's possible we've seen the last pitcher AB.

[ashie62]

If they play a 3 division league of 2020 Baseball it very well may be with 3 arbitrary divisions and sequestered ballplayers.



I don't know at what point you say this is all acceptable to get a season in. The economic pressure is intense for sure.



The idea of players living in hotels and being regularly tested for Covid bothers me. I think of all those people that could be, and should be tested who cannot and the MLB plan then feels hollow



It is reasonable to speculate that some changes made to acomodate a 2020 season will stick in 2021 and beyond



I've always had mixed feelings about the DH. I can remember Ron Blomberg starting it and as a kid thought the idea of an extra "hitter" was cool.



As an adult I get very bored with pitchers taking many many more weak at bats than good. I don't particularly care about the strategy that goes with a non DH game, but thats just me



I do like one league with, and one without the DH. Kinda like Vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Pick your flavor.

[TransMonk]

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2020/05/01/gary-cohen-announcer-ny-mets-seton-hall-basketball-waiting-call/3061220001/Gary Cohen's call: 'Baseball and play-by-play will be back when it's back'

I am perfectly willing to do whatever it is and I do not hold myself out as an expert on which would be the best plan,” Cohen said. “But what I do know is that, in this country right now, we are not even scratching the surface of the testing that would be needed to be able to make any plan a viable one. Until enough testing is in place to ensure the safety of everybody involved in whatever endeavor they try to establish, then it's really a moot point.

[Benjamin Grimm]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29144297/mlb-return-play-proposal-expected-week-sources-sayMLB return-to-play proposal expected within week, sources say



This is a wrinkle that I've been wondering about too:

Multiple players have reached out to the union asking what would happen if they opted not to play in 2020 out of fear for their health or a desire to remain with their families during the pandemic, sources told ESPN.

I think it makes sense to allow individual players to opt out, if they're willing to forego their salaries, except for the 4% that they'd have gotten if the season was canceled entirely. Zack Wheeler doesn't want to play? Then the Phillies do without him, save on his salary, and Wheeler gets to stay home. And if he later changes his mind, he gets a pro-rated portion of his salary. It seems like the fair thing to do.

[Frayed Knot]

I suspect those who opt out might be willing to forego the salary but they/their union would still want the service time ... and that's where things might get sticky.

There are going to be a lot a questions like those that'll need to be dealt with over and above just the logistics of the the schedule/travel/season itself.







Meanwhile, the German Bundesliga (their top level soccer league) is returning to action next week. Looks like the last game played there was March 11th.

[Ceetar]

my German coworker/boss says they announced they're opening the biergartens a week earlier than everything else.

[Edgy MD]

What really stings at different levels, in different cases, for teams and players and owners is all the guys who aren't playing out the last year of their contracts.



Personally, I think it's fine if guys who are pre-free-agency get some or all of a season of service time added to their ledgers, but I'd be happy to see every player who has reached the free-agency portion of his career get a one-year extension at AAV rates.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Amid coronavirus pandemic, MLB owners will vote on historic revenue-sharing plan Bob Nightengale USA TODAY Major League Baseball owners, with an abundance of optimism that baseball will be played this year, are scheduled to vote on a plan Monday that will require teams to share at least 48% of their revenue with the Major League Baseball Players Association this season, two people with direct knowledge of the proposal told USA TODAY Sports. The people, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to discuss details, said the historic revenue-sharing plan is integral to diminish revenue losses with games potentially being played without fans beginning in July. MLB officials say that teams are expected to lose about 40% of their gross revenue from ticket sales, concessions and parking. This would be the first time in history that MLB clubs would be willing to share their revenue with players, although it's common in other sports. In the NFL, players get 48% of revenue, and NBA players receive between 49% and 51% based on expected income. The proposal was initially shared with owners Thursday, revised Friday with owners on their executive committee and will be submitted for a vote on their noon ET conference call Monday, according to the two people. The proposal is expected to be submitted to the union Monday evening. The union has balked at the idea that players should take a further pay cut since they already will lose about half of their annual salary with the season being reduced to 82 regular-season games. They agreed to be paid on a pro-rated basis in their previous agreement on March 26, which granted players a full year of service time if no season is played. MLB is trying its best to get back on the field and start the 2020 season. But there's still plenty to be decided. The owners' proposal also outlines details on scheduling, which will include the postponement of the All-Star Game, which was scheduled for July 14 at Dodger Stadium, the two people told USA TODAY Sports. Training camps, as previously reported by USA TODAY Sports, will begin in June with an opening day set July 1-4. Teams will have the option of hosting spring training 2.0 at their home facilities or at their spring-training complexes in Arizona and Florida, with the hope that all teams can stage games at their own home ballparks during the season. According to the two people, the traditional two-league- six-division structure will remain, but teams will only play opponents in their division and the corresponding geographical division from the other league. So a team such as the New York Yankees would play only against their AL East opponents and the NL East, while a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, who weren't scheduled to play the Houston Astros, now would play them at least six times. They will also vote on whether to implement a universal DH, which likely will be necessary considering that interleague play will constitute about 40% of games. The active rosters are expected to be inflated from 26 players to 30, with a 20-man taxi squad consisting mostly of an organization's top minor-league players being available all season. If teams are unable to play in their home ballparks, at least at the outset of the season, they could choose to share a major-league facility with another team or play at their own spring-training complex. Yet, the preference by all owners is that the games, even with no fans, are staged at their own ballparks. MLB initially considered extending the season through Thanksgiving weekend, playing regular-season games through most of October, but with a fear of a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, believe it would be safer finish the season no later than the first week of November. MLB cautions that their plan remains fluid with the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring the approval of health experts and governmental officials.

So the Mets regular season would be entirely against the Braves, Nationals, Phillies, Marlins, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, and Orioles. And if they were to be one of the seven NL teams (three division champs and four wild cards?) to advance to the post-season, their postseason would be against other NL teams, including those in the Central and West, until the World Series.

[MFS62]

When it was announced that the NL would be using the DH, one of my friends emailed me to see if I was ok, that's how much he knew I hated that rule.

Later

[ashie62]

Uh, the 50/50 revenue ain't gonna fly



These are draconian measures to play ball



I hope two weeks in and some player doesn't test positive. That would be a "Thar she blows."



This may be a season where DFS and fantasy outshine the real sport



Everything proposed smells of fakeyitis



Now play ball dammit!

[nymr83]

Edgy MD wrote: What really stings at different levels, in different cases, for teams and players and owners is all the guys who aren't playing out the last year of their contracts. Personally, I think it's fine if guys who are pre-free-agency get some or all of a season of service time added to their ledgers, but I'd be happy to see every player who has reached the free-agency portion of his career get a one-year extension at AAV rates.

I think all the players should get a choice between getting a year of service time and whatever salary they make this year after the 'reductions' are agreed upon (all the pre-free agency guys will want this) OR having their contract get delayed by a year - so if you are 37 and in the last year of a 10/mil year deal you may say "no thanks, i'll take my 10 mil next year please"

[ashie62]

How about the union accepts 50/50 revenue in return for the full year service time

[Benjamin Grimm]

Latest news is that the thirty owners have approved the plan outlined above. Tomorrow begins the effort to get the players to accept the proposal. It includes owners splitting revenues 50-50 with the players.

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Latest news is that the thirty owners have approved the plan outlined above. Tomorrow begins the effort to get the players to accept the proposal. It includes owners splitting revenues 50-50 with the players.

The cynical (or is is the logical?) person in me says the players would get screwed. The owners will hide the revenue (like the Wilpons keep SNY revenue off the Mets books) and plead poverty. TV revenues are already in the bank. A fairer way would be to pay them a percentage of their salaries pro-rated on the number of games the final schedule represents.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

=MFS62 post_id=36726 time=1589238282 user_id=60]TV revenues are already in the bank.

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: In the initial agreement, the one the owners & players agreed to when they suspended the season back in ST, both sides agreed to the pro-rated salary part but there was also separate language which indicated that further discussion on reduced salary if reduced revenue still might need to happen depending on conditions of any restart.

Granted, but I still feel the owners will cook the books to drive that revenue figure as low as believable, but not accurate.

Later

[Edgy MD]

The owners have already gotten in plenty of trouble for that before.



I'm sure that the union wouldn't agree to a percentage without insisting on an independent auditor.

[Frayed Knot]

Here's the line from that March 26th agreement that is being subject to differing interpretations: “the Office of the Commissioner and Players Association will discuss in good faith the economic feasibility

of playing games in the absence of spectators”



Union head Tony Clark has said there are no needs for a new pay negotiation because the deal called for players to be paid their 2020 salary prorated for games played. Not surprisingly, several agents have

said the same. MLB interprets this sentence to mean a new arrangement would have to be discussed since revenue derived from attendance is said to represent some 40% of their total.

[Ceetar]

assuming we're not just ignoring testing and tracing altogether, which i'm not convinced can happen, it doesn't seem like they _have_ to play empty stadiums. Test people. You could probably socially distance 2000 people, maybe more if you factor in families that don't have to be distanced, fairly easily in the ground level of most stadiums. keep all the concessions and such closed, have a handful of mask-laden guards for security. Only allow day-of tickets purchased that require proof of a negative test. (or perhaps a positive antibody test, depending on if we have info on that being meaningful)



No one would come in contact with players. Chance of anyone being infected is low, and if you mandate masks worn to come and go from your seat things would be pretty safe. It wouldn't be the same, but there'd be enough crowd noise from that, noises in the right spots even if not as loud, to make things feel a little more normal. I think it'd help. Ultimately baseball doesn't really care about making it feel normal for the players, and the mesley income from that, perhaps merely $40k or something is junk change to them anyway. Unless they made this a super-premium experience I guess, and they probably could, and milked it for like $100 a ticket. You could probably get a few hundred thousand that way.