Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
If that “Play ball!” did not quite echo loudly enough to reach you, it’s because Major League Baseball muttered it through gritted teeth.
After a weekend of the league and Players Association debating how best to proceed, no agreement has been reached and thus the 2021 spring training slate and 162-game season are expected to begin on time. For the San Francisco Giants, this means pitchers and catchers arrive in Scottsdale on Feb. 15 and the first full-squad workout will be Feb. 21. Their Opening Day is set to be April 1 in Seattle.
It is unclear if any fans will be in the stands then. Barring unforeseen progress, it is difficult to imagine there will be customers at Oracle Park for April 9’s home opener. The Giants are hoping to find a way to allow limited amounts of season-ticket holders into the park, but the city of San Francisco has been one of the most careful in the country.
MLB was hoping to postpone the start of spring training and the regular season for a month and offered a 154-game schedule “that would pay players in full as if playing 162 games,” the league said in a strongly worded statement Monday night. Doing so would have allowed more time for the distribution of vaccines and given owners a better chance at bringing in money from fans.
In a statement released shortly before MLB’s, the union cited concerns with playing doubleheaders as well as MLB trying to bargain in expanded playoffs and the universal designated hitter as part of the deal. The Players Association also said the league’s proposal offered “no salary and no service time protections in the event of further delays, interruptions, or cancellations of the season.”
The union did not counteroffer, and thus the season will start on time barring a last-minute pact.
So the Giants and 14 other clubs will descend upon Arizona in a few weeks, a section of the country that is being particularly ravaged by the coronavirus. Maricopa County has had more than 470,000 cases and nearly 7,500 confirmed deaths from COVID-19.
Last week, the Cactus League requested a delay to the start of spring training in a letter that MLB reportedly influenced.
There is no trust between the union and league, which does not bode well for the next CBA, as the agreement expires following this season. To the Giants’ chagrin, it appears unlikely the postseason will expand and the DH will be adopted by the NL. To the owners’ chagrin, the season will start on time and earnings will again be down. To the players’ chagrin, they again will have to play through a pandemic and perhaps without fans watching up close, without the league bending enough for the union to accept a deal.
“We do not make this decision lightly,” the union said. “Players know first-hand the efforts that were required to complete the abbreviated 2020 season, and we appreciate that significant challenges lie ahead. We look forward to promptly finalizing enhanced health and safety protocols that will help Players and Clubs meet these challenges.”
