May 24, 2020
Report: MLBPA has internally discussed salary deferrals
As MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association get set for a crucial week of negotiations to work out the economics of a possible shortened 2020 season, both sides face immense pressure to reach an agreement.
TSN.ca Staff
As MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association get set for a crucial week of negotiations to work out the economics of a possible shortened 2020 season, both sides face immense pressure to reach an agreement.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich report the union might be open to deferring some of their prorated salaries to ease the owners' financial concerns about playing games without fans. However, Rosenthal and Drellich add the league may view this as simply extending teams' financial concerns into the off-season and beyond.
The union and the MLB are scheduled to meet virtually on Tuesday.
In March, the two sides agreed to pay players their full salaries based on how many regular season games are played in 2020, but the league believes the agreement does not account for games being played without fans in attendance, while the union has pushed back on this notion. This has led to an impasse between both sides.
Rosenthal and Drellich add that while the union might be open to push for a longer regular season -- which is believed to be 82 games under the current timeline -- and therefore, more money in player salaries, the league may not be open to such an arrangement since a second COVID-19 wave could potentially wipe out postseason play in the fall. The postseason is MLB's greatest revenue generator so the league is highly motivated that it be played.
Opening Day was originally scheduled for March 26 before the coronavirus pushed back the start of the season indefinitely.
Read the full story from The Athletic here.