Yankees: 3 Reasons MLBPA is Opposed to Owners’ New Proposal for 2020 Season

The MLB owners made a new offer to the players for the 2020 season, but it’s already been shot down.

For a split second, we thought we were on a clearer path for starting the 2020 MLB season. But then we devolved into the same old back and forth in which no strides are made. The players rightfully holding strong and the owners don’t seem to want to be the ones making concessions whatsoever.

It’s an all-around bad situation, but if anything, we can understand the players’ frustration more than the guys sitting in the executive suites collecting money by just planting in a comfy chair.

So while today’s offer from the owners sounded like it was a step in the right direction initially, here are three reasons it most certainly was not.

• The owners are pretty much making this an incentive-based deal upon completion of the postseason

In the event there’s no postseason due to a second wave of coronavirus (at this point we can assume that’s the only way we won’t have playoff baseball), the players will only be getting half of their prorated salaries (and obviously no bonus money). The players bring in tons of money in other facets of the business, so to strictly boil this down to regular-season playing time is short-sighted. Not to mention, the owners having to put a protective clause in here in the event of no postseason AFTER asking the players to take an additional pay cut is absurd. Most of these clubs are worth billions of dollars and we’re talking about a few million here.

The bottom line is that there can’t be less guaranteed money in a season where players and coaches are risking their well-being.

• There’s pretty much no discernible difference between this proposal and the last one

Sure, $202 million sounds like a ton of cash, but when it’s split across all the postseason teams and not even guaranteed, it’s not all that significant.

So the owners think that slipping in the removal of qualifying offers thinks that’s going to move the needle? We can already expect to QO to be gone when the new CBA is agreed upon in 2021, so this is senseless.

• The players would make the same amount of guaranteed money if the MLB is forced to institute a 48-game season

Yup, that pretty much says it all. The no playoff money is significant, but you mean to tell the players they’ll be playing 28 MORE games and make LESS money? Once again, the MLBPA likely understands concessions need to be made, but this isn’t what anyone is looking for.

The 48-game season will happen if MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred institutes the nuclear option which will force both sides to halt negotiations play the campaign.

Oh yeah, and there’s this!

Bad faith by the owners here and we truly cannot blame the players for laughing at this counteroffer.