Play Ball! After months of idiocy, schedule is in place & camps open July 1st

[PanniniClaus]

Not play on principle...fine. Don't play and don't get paid...money you never get back but he has more paydays to come.

There are many players at the lower end of the pay spectrum that could use the money. The minor leaguer that gets called up now and then and the guys going to camp on a minor league deal. Probably not in the same financial position as Snell.

The players should let their Union reps/PR people do the talking...The Bauer's and Snell's don't know what the real world is anyway so there is no way they can identify with the average fan. I truly don't care if a pitch is thrown this year.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

 

[spintheblackcircle]

 

[PG Canuck]

 

[PG Canuck]

Not play on principle...fine. Don't play and don't get paid...money you never get back but he has more paydays to come.

There are many players at the lower end of the pay spectrum that could use the money. The minor leaguer that gets called up now and then and the guys going to camp on a minor league deal. Probably not in the same financial position as Snell.

The players should let their Union reps/PR people do the talking...The Bauer's and Snell's don't know what the real world is anyway so there is no way they can identify with the average fan. I truly don't care if a pitch is thrown this year.

Yeah I’m sure the players on the lower end of the spectrum are also thrilled to be on a prorated salary that is also cut by 33% and ALSO being taxed while also being told to jump through all these hurdles to make it all maybeeeeee work.

What would a lower spectrum guy even make after factoring all that in? They already make minimal now.

Now a minor league guy? He may be better off to just continue working for Uber or something after all the paycuts.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

There won't be a 2020 minor league season, that much is basically already assured. So minor league guy will keep working for Uber.

At the end of the day, if MLB and PA can't come to an agreement, it's mutually assured destruction. No one wins. So something will give.

 

[PanniniClaus]

There won't be a 2020 minor league season, that much is basically already assured. So minor league guy will keep working for Uber.

At the end of the day, if MLB and PA can't come to an agreement, it's mutually assured destruction. No one wins. So something will give.

I think there will be expanded rosters...I assume the minimum salary will be pro rated so perhaps 350,000? What I mean is, that is money those on the lower end of the spectrum will need. Careers are only so long and this is a year lost. I feel they will want that 350,000 rather than nothing. If Snell doesn't want to play...don't play.. Snell does not speak for all players..he speaks for him.

 

[PG Canuck]

So owners should assume ALL the financial hit on this season? What makes MLB players so special that they should get paid every penny in a business with a clearly slashed revenue stream when almost every person in America is either feeling a pinch financially or at-risk if not both? If the players want to argue they should get more than 50% of their pro-rated contracts because they're the ones at risk, fine - that's fair enough. What point you want to make it (70-75%?) is debatable.

But when they start screaming they won't give up a dime when everyone else in America doesn't have a choice well again, what makes them so freaking special that they shouldn't feel a pinch from a worldwide pandemic? Even if owners only paid players 50% of prorated contracts they'll still be taking a major hit with zero fans/concessions and to boot, someone's gonna be paying for the daily testing and protocol and it won't be the players. Why shouldn't the players have to absorb at least a portion of a financial hit?

If the players want to say they won't come back because it isn't safe and stand on principle I'd have respect for that, but not for arbitrarily putting a price on it in an attempted shakedown.

I’m confused what you’re upset about. The players have agreed to a prorated salary long ago. They are completely fine with it. It’s what they wanted. They aren’t asking for more.

The owners are asking for them to take a pay cut on an already prorated salary. That is incredibly laughable. Owners not being able to eat one season is incredibly funny. It’s even funnier when you consider they line their pockets with cash when things are booming and the players get....?

Tell me why the players should absorb any money needed for testing? Since when is this their investment? They are employees. Since when did they own the team? Would your boss demand you to pay for testing at your workplace? If so, I think you need a new job. No way in hell i’m paying for something that is needed to keep your employees safe. Don’t want to pay for that? Well, then work isn’t done. It’s simple.

I don’t see what the players are doing as any sort is shakedown. They agreed to a prorated salary! They want to play! The owners have NOW asked to have a 33% pay cut on an already agreed prorated salary! Players said f*** that. As they should and as I definitely would.

I’m so confused!

 

[PG Canuck]

And if Snell wants his full salary, well then he can sit at home until he gets it aka he won’t. But from what I understand the prorated salary was agreed upon already. Bauer has been pretty adamant about that.

There is always a group of people upset no matter what is ever said. I’ve seen people happy with what Snell said and others downright offended. That’s the world we live in now. It’s pretty entertaining when someone like me doesn’t really care what a players opinion is on the world and takes what they say with a grain of salt.

 

[John Price]

Bryce Harper on Blake Snell's refusal to take reduced MLB salary: 'He's not wrong'

 

[spintheblackcircle]

So owners should assume ALL the financial hit on this season? What makes MLB players so special that they should get paid every penny in a business with a clearly slashed revenue stream when almost every person in America is either feeling a pinch financially or at-risk if not both?.

Players already agreed to a 50% pay cut and the greedy billionaire owners want more.

f*** all the owners. How a single 'regular' person could possibly be against the players boggles my mind. Side with billionaires, go ahead.

 

[PanniniClaus]

I'm not siding with owners...I don't care if baseball is played at all at this point. Snell is saying he would "risk it" to play for 7 million but 3.5? No , not worth the risk.

We are fortunate most health care workers don't look at it this way. $100,000 plus another $100,000 in overtime? Not worth it...i'll stay home.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I'm not siding with owners...I don't care if baseball is played at all at this point. Snell is saying he would "risk it" to play for 7 million but 3.5? No , not worth the risk.

We are fortunate most health care workers don't look at it this way. $100,000 plus another $100,000 in overtime? Not worth it...i'll stay home.

They already agreed to take half. Now the owners want to cut that $3.5MM to $2.31 (been seeing 33% cut as a number being thrown around). Then with taxes, it's probably around $1.6MM take home. That's life changing money for you and I, but he's owned $40.8MM the next 3 years! If the team can void the contract if he no shows, I'm sure that would play into his mindset, but I don't blame him for saying nah I'll wait.

 

[John Price]

Carig: More than money, players' health concerns could...

 

[John Price]

Column: Snell now poster child for spoiled ballplayers

Still don't see what Snell said that was wrong

Multiple other players have come out in support of his statements

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Just because the players make a lot in comparison to regular folks doesn't mean the owners should be greedy as hell. They already agreed to a 1/2 reduction in pay. If these greedy owners can't pay the tab to cover the remaining costs of a lost season then they weren't suited to own a team, anyways.

 

[PG Canuck]

Just because the players make a lot in comparison to regular folks doesn't mean the owners should be greedy as hell. They already agreed to a 1/2 reduction in pay. If these greedy owners can't pay the tab to cover the remaining costs of a lost season then they weren't suited to own a team, anyways.

Exactly. This is no different than owning a small business. You reap the benefits of when things are booming, the employees don't. You eat the bill when times are tough, the employees don't. Welcome to owning a business.

I really don't understand why the "players should eat some of the bill". Prorated salaries? Sure.

 

[PG Canuck]

They already agreed to take half. Now the owners want to cut that $3.5MM to $2.31 (been seeing 33% cut as a number being thrown around). Then with taxes, it's probably around $1.6MM take home. That's life changing money for you and I, but he's owned $40.8MM the next 3 years! If the team can void the contract if he no shows, I'm sure that would play into his mindset, but I don't blame him for saying nah I'll wait.

Now do the math for a guy that wouldn't be making 3M like Snell. Like I said before, may as well just stay on their side job with Uber or manual labour etc. Probably end up making more.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Sports contacts are always prorated, you get paid for the games you are on the team for, in all sports at all times.

Even if the billionaire owners should eat it, saying "I wont play in the MLB for only 2.5 million...pfft" doesnt look good

 

[NJDevs26]

Tell me why the players should absorb any money needed for testing? Since when is this their investment? They are employees. Since when did they own the team? Would your boss demand you to pay for testing at your workplace? If so, I think you need a new job. No way in hell i’m paying for something that is needed to keep your employees safe. Don’t want to pay for that? Well, then work isn’t done. It’s simple.

They don't, I'm saying the owners and MLB are going to absorb the testing, other expenses from protocols AND the losses of revenue from no fans. Why should the players then get off scott-free and not be affected by anything, especially in terms of the loss of sportwide revenue? Whoopee they agreed to a prorated salary instead of demanding to get paid a full contract for half a season, how big of them.

Obviously the owners aren't angels (for one, they shouldn't be leaking negotiations to begin with and playing this out as a PR battle) and shouldn't be using this pandemic as an excuse to try to implement a wish list of fantasies. But the baseball union has always been tone-deaf in terms of PR. You don't go around saying it's too risky on the one hand...but if I get my full contract, play ball. It's one or the other, not both. It's either too risky or financially motivated.

And just because the owners can theoretically absorb the full hit, doesn't mean it's right to demand it of them. They don't all have the same revenue streams either - Hal Steinbrenner is different from the people who own the Brewers and Rays. There's no 'good' side when millionaires and billionaires squeal while almost everyone else has to deal with worse. Again, it's not as if the players are going to be laid off and on unemployment like most of the public.

Just because the players make a lot in comparison to regular folks doesn't mean the owners should be greedy as hell. They already agreed to a 1/2 reduction in pay. If these greedy owners can't pay the tab to cover the remaining costs of a lost season then they weren't suited to own a team, anyways.

It's only a half reduction of pay becuase they're playing half the games. It's not a reduction in the paycheck itself. It's not like Bryce Harper gets his $33 million all in one lump sum.

 

[LeHab]

Players already agreed to a 50% pay cut and the greedy billionaire owners want more.

f*** all the owners. How a single 'regular' person could possibly be against the players boggles my mind. Side with billionaires, go ahead.

The agreement, of which a copy was provided to USA TODAY Sports, lists three provisions in order to play this year:
1. There are no federal, state, city, or local restrictions on mass gatherings or other restrictions that would materially limit the Clubs’ ability to play games in front of spectators, with regular fan access, in each of the 30 Clubs’ home ballparks; provided, however, that the Commissioner will consider the use of appropriate substitute neutral sites where economically feasible.

2. There shall be no relevant restrictions on traveling throughout the United States and Canada.

3. The Commissioner determines, after consultation with recognized medical experts and the Players Association, that it does not pose an unreasonable health and safety risk to players, staff, or spectators to stage games in front of fans in each of the 30 Clubs’ home ballparks; provided that, the Office of the Commissioner and Players Association will discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate substitute neutral sites.

Sounds to me like current situation does not meet above contingency provisions hence why both parties need to renegotiate.

Owners, players face difficult talks on starting MLB season

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Throw it back at the owners to show everyone what greedy dicks they are. We'll agree to the 33% additional pay cut but all proceeds from that pay cut go to front line workers, food banks, etc.

 

[John Price]

 

[John Price]

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

It will be massive to the sport that is first to come back