© Denny Medley | 2017 Jun 21
The negotiations are over, for now.
The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected the latest return-to-play proposal from the owners on Saturday evening, and indicated in a strongly worded letter that they are done negotiating. The players have stood firm in their unwillingness to agree to any deal that does not pay players their full prorated salaries.
The latest offer from the owners was for a 72 game season with 70 percent of their full prorated pay guaranteed and up to 83 percent following the completion of the postseason. That is the largest percentage of salary offered by the owners during negotiations, but was still 30 percent too low for the players.
MLBPA lead negotiator Bruce Meyer, in a letter sent to deputy commissioner Dan Halem on Saturday night told the owners that negotiations are over, and that if the league going to exercise their right to impose a 50ish game season, they need to let the players know what the plan is by “close of business on Monday, June 15.”
If that season is imposed, the players would be paid their full prorated salaries, which would now be less than 1/3 what they were scheduled to earn in 2019. Commissioner Rob Manfred has said “100 percent” there will be baseball this season.
Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/d1p3Oj4K70
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 13, 2020
The core issue between the two parties revolves around an apparent misunderstanding about an agreement in March, where the MLBPA says the owners guaranteed pro rata pay. The owners say that agreement was contingent in fans being in the stands.
“Given your continued insistence on hundreds of millions of dollars of additional pay reductions, we assume these negotiations are at an end,” Meyer said in the letter obtained by ESPN. “If it is your intention to unilaterally impose a season, we again request that you inform us and our members of how many games you intend to play and when and where players should report.”
If a 50-game season is imposed, both parties will need to agree on a health-and-safety protocol before games can begin.