MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark.
I’ve been through every Major League Baseball work stoppage so far and hated every one of them. It seems so stupid to watch millionaires and billionaires squabble over dollars. In 1995, I got so ticked off I canceled my Florida Marlins season tickets. At the time, it seemed like the only thing I could do to register a personal protest, not to give either side my money.
Before we get too far, an Op-Ed is usually the newspaper’s opinions written by the editorial staff. Why is this an Op-Ed? Aside from being an editor, this is my opinion, and my name happens to be Ed. The difference is today’s article personal and not the position of Pacific Northwest Sports as an entity. Back to the show.
The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires at the end of this year. Historically, the league and union don’t agree until the very last minute. Several times, it’s gone way past the last minute. Basing a multi-billion dollar business on a high stakes game of chicken is a moronic way to do business.
As things stand, baseball fans should pack all the enjoyment they can get into 2021 because the 2022 season will be very short, if it’s ever played. Both sides are posturing for a position on the new CBA. Meanwhile, it’s the game and its supporters that suffer.
It’s also obvious MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA President Tony Clark don’t like each other. Worse, there is no mutual trust. This is bordering on personal. Clark and Manfred are more interested in sticking it to the other side that neither man shows he is operating in the best interests of the game or those who are part of it.
Monday was a watershed moment. The Players Association rejected MLB’s proposal on changes. As a result, MLB must go ahead with original plans to have pitchers and catchers report to spring training in mid-February. That’s ridiculous and not exactly dealing in good faith.
Last week, Cactus League venues’ operators sent a letter to both sides requesting a month delay to spring training, citing coronavirus concerns. As of Sunday, Arizona has the seventh-highest infection rate in the country at 50 cases per 100K people.
The union believes the Cactus League acted as a shill for the owners and rejected any delay. What happened to protecting their membership? So much for science.
Since fans won’t be in the stands at most venues, team owners want to cut the number of games played to avoid incurring more losses. It’s understandable and certainly defendable. But just like the way they want to hold players to the contracts they signed, owners are responsible for their end of signings, as well.
Teams aren’t bringing in the revenue they expected, but it doesn’t mean they get to pass on their obligations. Personally, I think the owners are well aware of this and are using the idea of pro-rated season salaries as a negotiating ploy. As a matter of fact, they offered to pay players for a full season despite cutting down to 154 games.
The season should be shortened to A.) allow for more vaccinations and B.) put some additional room in the schedule to make up missed games. However, the players should still get their full salary. One of the suggestions I saw was to hold back a percentage (20–30) of players’ salaries, and teams would pay the balance on a deferred basis with interest. That’s fair for everyone. Will it happen? No.
Two other proposals that would benefit both sides also went out the window, a universal designated hitter and expanded playoffs. Management can’t make fundamental changes to the game without approval from the union.
Declining these two measures is close to throwing a temper tantrum. Full-time DH’s get paid well. Also, more playoffs bring in more revenue and more exposure. If the owners were to get more TV money with expanded playoffs, they’d likely be more agreeable to other union concerns.
As previously mentioned, the animosity from each side hinders getting a deal done. When it becomes more about beating the guy across the table than negotiating a deal in good faith, nothing gets done.
In such an uncertain economic climate, both sides need to get a new CBA done that includes 2021. Further, they should do it with an entirely new set of negotiators. People who recognize that they have to give something to get something. If Manfred and Clark have their egos bruised, too bad. No law says that any labor negotiation has to be contentious.
I’m not on the owner’s side or the player’s side. I’m on baseball’s side. Both parties better wake up and understand that the game is in trouble. The more they bicker among themselves, the more it alienated the fans. Why get invested in a team or its players when it looks like a follow-up season is unlikely.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.