Union leaders have not decided on the specifics of a formal counterproposal or whether even to make oneGETTY IMAGES
The MLBPA "remained publicly silent Thursday about its negotiating plans but further entrenched in its central stance: no further cuts to player salaries," according to Dave Sheinin of the WASHINGTON POST. As MLB "awaits a response to its opening economic proposal" for starting the '20 season, union leaders "have not decided on the specifics of a formal counterproposal or whether even to make one at all, and they have yet to signal when they will reveal their next move." But what the union "made clear Thursday was its continued opposition to further pay cuts as the days dwindle until next week’s soft deadline for an agreement that would allow MLB to start its delayed season with 'spring training 2.0' in mid-June and an Opening Day around July 4" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/29).
WE CAN WORK IT OUT: In St. Paul, Betsy Helfand notes Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter is "optimistic that MLB and the MLBPA will be able to strike a deal on salaries, player safety and other issues in the coming weeks." St. Peter said, "That desire to play and the opportunity in front of us for baseball to return ultimately will win the day and that gives me optimism that baseball will eventually return here." He added, "We'd all like to get a resolution sooner versus later but there's a process that we have to go through, first and foremost to ensure that we have consensus around the health and safety matter but then also some of the broader parts of the negotiation with the Players Association" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 5/29). SI.com's Tom Verducci asked a longtime club exec who has been through many labor wars if he thought the two sides will reach an agreement. The exec said, "Are you kidding? Of course. Of course they will. There will be a deal because the prospect of not getting a deal is unthinkable to both sides. It will happen because it has to happen" (SI.com, 5/28).
HOW IT'S ALWAYS DONE: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale writes, "They will play. The season may not start on July 4th weekend as hoped. It may instead start later in July. But it is happening. There's too much money at stake, and everyone knows it." MLB and the union "still are business partners and will resolve their economic issues" (USA TODAY, 5/29). NESN's Dave O'Brien said, "This is often the way it’s done between the MLBPA and the owners. It’s very cantankerous, it’s nasty at the beginning." One thing that is "going to push them along is the NHL’s coming back, the NBA’s coming back … (and) there is pressure on Major League Baseball to get their product on the field again, a lot of pressure” (“After Hours,” NESN, 5/28).
WE'RE ALL ADULTS HERE: ESPN’s Jeff Passan said the “collective position of the union right now is very strong." They "believe this premise that they need to go back at Major League Baseball with an offer as equally strong as Major League Baseball’s was to them and by strong, I mean completely untenable in the long-term." What the union goes back to MLB with is "not going to get baseball back on the field."But Passan noted there are some players who feel there needs to be an "adult in the room." But he added, “We have entered the scary point as much because of what the optics are publicly. You can you only fight for so long and not lose the public” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 5/29). NBC Sports Chicago's David Haugh: “Baseball needs a voice that speaks up loudly and is a leader and says, ‘You know what, both sides have points here, both sides are wrong here, both sides are kind of right here but we need a compromise’” (“SportsTalk Live,” NBC Sports Chicago, 5/28).
STICKING POINTS: On Long Island, David Lennon writes MLB "tested the union's resolve with Tuesday's divide-and-conquer proposal, a low-ball first offer that seemed more designed to probe for weakness than broker any kind of labor peace." After the MLBPA "huddled Wednesday," Nationals P Max Scherzer "threw a purpose pitch that backed up his union." For the union, the salary matter "now appears closed, leaving the two sides to find common ground among other areas, such as the health/safety protocols and possibly the length of the schedule" (NEWSDAY, 5/29). In Boston, Alex Speier writes this is a "complicated situation," as the "unknowns about a potential season exceed knowns, a phenomenon only amplified by the mistrust." MLB and its team owners suggest that they are "maxed out as borrowers." But players "approach all claims with suspicion." Speier writes all of this "brings the line of questioning full circle: What’s fair?" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/29).
PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND: In Boston, Jason Mastrodonato writes, "Two days into MLB’s 'negotiations' and one thing is already very clear: they screwed up. All of them. The players and the owners. The agents and the league officials." What MLB is "quickly learning" is that "nobody cares about the war between billionaires and millionaires." The mistake MLB made was "trying to use the public landscape to sway opinion" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/29). In Miami, Greg Cote writes, "Everybody is wrong. Nothing is right about baseball's money-centered negotiations to restart its season. The owners are wrong and the players are wrong. There are two sides to every argument, sure ... but [what] if both sides are lame?" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/29).
