Owners submit new economic plan to union : UPDATED

[Tony-OH]

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/mlb-owners-approve-giving-players-union-plan-to-start-season-in-july-source/2299412/?fbclid=IwAR3BGqKds-kDNXBKdymrf61ot2aR6hKVNFbh9hHueNnZVjNBsHLgBdVpPGc

I'm all for it! At this point, they can play any schedule under any rules, just get baseball back on the field! 

I will say I love the fact they want to expand the DH to the NL. That's been needed for so long it's not funny. 

I also like the idea of playing mostly against regional teams for this short season. That lessons the travel overall and requires less off days to catch up for travel. 

I'm hoping they change the leagues and Divisions around anyways, going to a more East vs West for leagues or focusing Divisions to being based on region and economic factors.

 

[CallMeBrooksie]

Seems to be plenty of pessimism at the chances the Union actually accepts. There is probably a good bit of back and forth left to occur before baseball actually gets played again.

Yes to expanding the DH. NL fans look down their noses at anyone who suggests this, but it just makes sense and is long overdue.

I'm also all for shaking up the divisional model. Anyone else sick and tired of having to watch the O's play what seems like half of their schedules in Rogers Centre and Tropicana Field? Those are just miserable venues to have to watch a baseball game on TV.

[weams]

 

[Tony-OH]

2 minutes ago, weams said:

 

The players union is going to have to give as they can't expect players to be paid for the same amount with less games and limited to no fans of concessions. Saying that, the teams are going to have to open up the books.

[Tony-OH]

34 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

Seems to be plenty of pessimism at the chances the Union actually accepts. There is probably a good bit of back and forth left to occur before baseball actually gets played again.

Yes to expanding the DH. NL fans look down their noses at anyone who suggests this, but it just makes sense and is long overdue.

I'm also all for shaking up the divisional model. Anyone else sick and tired of having to watch the O's play what seems like half of their schedules in Rogers Centre and Tropicana Field? Those are just miserable venues to have to watch a baseball game on TV.

Good lord yes. They are literally the two worse places to watch MLB. I like the idea of perhaps rotating Divisions a bit, year by year. 

I do agree though there's a decent chance the players union will end up causing this season to go down the drain. It will be ashamed and I'm not sure MLB can recover from missing an entire season. 

 

[Moose Milligan]

2 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

The players union is going to have to give as they can't expect players to be paid for the same amount with less games and limited to no fans of concessions. Saying that, the teams are going to have to open up the books.

That'll never happen.  While Tony Clark is a jerk for digging his heels in here, it's what he's gotta do as the MLBPA president.  Giving on this issue would be a slippery slope for them moving forward.  The MLB owners want a cap, the MLBPA is so incredibly strong and they don't want to give an inch.  Ever.  Including at a time like this.

I don't see how the MLBPA agrees to play this year, really.  Which is unfortunate.  

[Can_of_corn]

10 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

That'll never happen.  While Tony Clark is a jerk for digging his heels in here, it's what he's gotta do as the MLBPA president.  Giving on this issue would be a slippery slope for them moving forward.  The MLB owners want a cap, the MLBPA is so incredibly strong and they don't want to give an inch.  Ever.  Including at a time like this.

I don't see how the MLBPA agrees to play this year, really.  Which is unfortunate.  

The union willing to crack open the war chest and pay some guys?

[Tony-OH]

Tony Clark and the player's union are going to have to get their heads our of their ass and realize that baseball needs a salary cap like every other major sport. Baseball can not continue to exists with the haves and have nots. 

If the player's union block the baseball season this year, this will be a major hit for a sport that can't afford bad publicity.

They have the opportunity to be perhaps the first major sport to start play for a country in need of normalcy, even if it's a no fan or limited fan in stadium experience. 

Baseball has to be willing to change and that means the Player's union has to be willing to understand that when players are making a minimum of 570K a year while stars are still be handed out $30 million a year contracts (guaranteed despite awful performance sometimes), that they still have it pretty damn good. They are not going to win the fans approval if they destroy a season over greed.

 

[Philip]

I’ve often compared a player’s minimum to a teacher’s salary. Good teaching is a valuable skill and not everyone can do it well, though lots of people succeed in doing it badly.

State base in Texas is about 47k, but teachers top out at about 55k. So it takes ~12 years for a teacher to match one minimum salary season.

I don’t have any issues with that but I have lots of issues with 30 million a season.

Tony Clark isn’t even fighting for the minor leaguers( they aren’t part of his Union) but he’d better start understanding his disconnect with everyday people, or he’s going to lose a lot.

[accinfo]

3 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Tony Clark and the player's union are going to have to get their heads our of their ass and realize that baseball needs a salary cap like every other major sport. Baseball can not continue to exists with the haves and have nots. 

If the player's union block the baseball season this year, this will be a major hit for a sport that can't afford bad publicity.

They have the opportunity to be perhaps the first major sport to start play for a country in need of normalcy, even if it's a no fan or limited fan in stadium experience. 

Baseball has to be willing to change and that means the Player's union has to be willing to understand that when players are making a minimum of 570K a year while stars are still be handed out $30 million a year contracts (guaranteed despite awful performance sometimes), that they still have it pretty damn good. They are not going to win the fans approval if they destroy a season over greed.

 

Yes he is.  With a cap there will be a floor.  The percentage of player compensation is going down because the owners have finally figured out they have to pay the few stars because the few larger markets will bid them up but squeeze out the older and not so big stars.  A floor forces the Orioles, Rays, etc to bid on more players and not tank and rely solely on drafting and developing younger controllable players to try to be competitive.  One thing the cap and floor assure the NFL and NBA players over time is that average player salaries go up along with revenues.  That hasn't applied to baseball salaries even up until now when revenues have increased.  Both sides have to face the reality that increase in revenues have abruptly ended for the near future and everyone is going to have to adjust their expectations.  

[Redskins Rick]

12 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Good lord yes. They are literally the two worse places to watch MLB. I like the idea of perhaps rotating Divisions a bit, year by year. 

I do agree though there's a decent chance the players union will end up causing this season to go down the drain. It will be ashamed and I'm not sure MLB can recover from missing an entire season. 

 

Previous strikes hurt baseball pretty deep and lost fans. 

I think if the players caused the 2020 season to be missed, would be unforgivable by some friends, in this pandemic crisis.

Are the players greedy, yes, they are.

Are the Owners greedy, yes, they are.

Is there money to be made on both sides, yes there is.

So figure out a a fair and equitable solution for all.

[UpstateNYfan]

They'll figure it out, because they have to. But, let's get real. It will really amount to an 80 game exhibition season. Lot's of pitchers for at least the first 25 games, expanded rosters overall. Regional ball, you can't really say AL or NL. Again, I believe it is a time to try a few things. Electronic strike zone, extra inning changes, etc. From this experience they might get a chance to play with some realignment, scheduling issues, rule change, new post season structure, maybe reduce game schedule, etc for the future. If they want to try things, this is the time IMO. It might make this exhibition season more watchable.

[CarrRun49]

7 minutes ago, UpstateNYfan said:

They'll figure it out, because they have to. But, let's get real. It will really amount to an 80 game exhibition season. Lot's of pitchers for at least the first 25 games, expanded rosters overall. Regional ball, you can't really say AL or NL. Again, I believe it is a time to try a few things. Electronic strike zone, extra inning changes, etc. From this experience they might get a chance to play with some realignment, scheduling issues, rule change, new post season structure, maybe reduce game schedule, etc for the future. If they want to try things, this is the time IMO. It might make this exhibition season more watchable.

Extra inning changes?  I can't think of one thing I would change about extra innings baseball.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, CarrRun49 said:

Extra inning changes?  I can't think of one thing I would change about extra innings baseball.

After the 20th inning teams can bring in coaches to pitch.

[accinfo]

12 minutes ago, UpstateNYfan said:

They'll figure it out, because they have to. But, let's get real. It will really amount to an 80 game exhibition season. Lot's of pitchers for at least the first 25 games, expanded rosters overall. Regional ball, you can't really say AL or NL. Again, I believe it is a time to try a few things. Electronic strike zone, extra inning changes, etc. From this experience they might get a chance to play with some realignment, scheduling issues, rule change, new post season structure, maybe reduce game schedule, etc for the future. If they want to try things, this is the time IMO. It might make this exhibition season more watchable.

There will never be a better excuse to bring in an electronic strike zone then now.  The two closes people on a field is the home plate umpire and the catcher.  I know they said before all this the umpire was still going to be there to override the machine but just rethink that.