It’s ugly for Major League Baseball, it’s super ugly.
The negotiations have gone nowhere between the players and the owners. What was once borderline comical is now a sad reminder on the state of baseball. Everything wrong with the sport has been put on front street in recent weeks for all to see.
Here’s the rundown:
- Weeks of negotiations have led to a public relations nightmare for the sport. The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected the latest offer, from MLB and the owners, of terms under which to play the 2020 season. MLBPA also issued a statement requesting MLB refrain from sending anymore counteroffers. The union made it clear they’re prepared for MLB to set a 2020 schedule and move forward with a season.
- Nothing about any of this has gone smoothly for baseball. The issue has always come down to money and trust. MLB is concerned the players will take legal action against them once a schedule has been set.
- Per the March Agreement between both sides, the main goal, amid the coronavirus pandemic, was to play as many baseball games as possible. The owners, however, have maintained their stance playing more games will cost more money. This concerned has been reflected in the tone of their counteroffers to the players.
With the owners worried about the players filing a grievance and having an arbitrator ruling against them, the game of chicken between both sides is advanced to super ugly.
Rob Manfred went on ESPN Monday night and said he was “not confident” that a 2020 baseball season will happen. That’s an about face from the “100 percent” vote of confidence Manfred gave everyone last week.
The players’ union didn’t take kindly to Manfred’s latest forecast. It’s more than super ugly now, it’s become a mud-slinging contest. It’s a battle of egos fueled by accusations of “bad faith” from both parties.
And then there’s the report which surfaced late Monday night that several MLB players tested positive for COVID-19. The timing of the report was – interesting.
The clock is ticking on baseball, it’s been ticking for a long time now. Both sides want to hold firm to their positions, and then there’s commissioner Rob Manfred’s futile attempts at trying to navigate a peaceful negotiation.
Nothing’s worked and the fans are tired.
Manfred needs to end this, this is all on his watch. He needs to end this before it soils baseball to the point of no return.
Because if there’s anything these last three months have shown us, there’s plenty of room for this to get ugly.
