Owners want an 82-game season. Players want 114 games, and more money.
Actually, the owners want more money, too – or at the least, to lose less money.
The two sides have set out their ideals for a 2020 season. Time to get to compromise.
The proposal from the MLBPA would have a season running from June 30 to Oct. 31, with the postseason in November.
The longer season with more games is the fiscal foundation for the request from players to receive a full pro-rated share of their 2020 salaries.
The proposal from owners from a couple of weeks ago tied salaries to a 50-50 split of revenues from 2020, which you’d have to expect at this point will be entirely from TV, based on current assumptions about social distancing.
It’s possible there could be fans in attendance as the season goes on, but at the very least you’re going to see a significant diminution of revenues on the live-event side.
The MLBPA proposal also includes deferred salaries in the event of a canceled 2020 postseason, which doesn’t seem likely, but you have to account for that, and options for players who want to sit out due to concerns over COVID-19 to be able to do so without losing salary or service time.
The players proposal also assumes expanded playoffs, commitment from players for broadcast enhancements featuring additional on-field mics, and an offer for an offseason All-Star Game and Home Run Derby to generate additional league revenues.
The calendar having turned to June now, time is of the essence, with the expectation that teams would need to undergo a Spring Training 2.0 to get players ready for games beginning at the end of the month.
Story by Chris Graham
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