Mercifully, we finally have some good news in baseball’s labor war. We are starting to see, well, at least a smidgen of urgency now with Major League Baseball…
Mercifully, we finally have some good news in baseball’s labor war.
We are starting to see, well, at least a smidgen of urgency now with Major League Baseball and the players’ association exchanging three formal proposals in a matter of five days.
Ready for the bad?
The two sides really aren’t any closer to a deal than they were when the negotiations started 10 weeks ago.
Major League Baseball sent a formal proposal to the players union Friday afternoon that calls for a 72-game season starting July 14 and guarantees them at least 80% of their prorated salaries if the World Series is completed and 70% if the pandemic forces cancellation of the postseason, two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports.
The proposal guarantees $1.27 billion in player salaries for the regular season, an increase of $300 million from MLB’s proposal on Monday. It also includes a $50 million postseason player pool, and gives the union its choice whether to have draft pick compensation tied to free agency.
They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to speak publicly with the sensitivity of the negotiations.
The MLB Players Association, which has until Sunday evening to formally accept or reject the offer, didn’t bother to wait to chastise the proposal. They plan to reject the offer, insisting on full prorated pay, and likely will submit a counter-proposal by Monday.
There is an increase of only $71 million in potential money from the last contract, the union argues, and players still objects to being guaranteed 70% of their prorated pay.
