Rob Manfred backtracked from earlier comments in which he said he was sure a season would take placeGETTY IMAGES
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred last night reversed course from comments he made less than a week ago, saying he is “not confident” that the ’20 season will take place due to the current labor stalemate. That comes after Manfred last Wednesday night said that he was 100% sure the season would take place. Manfred, appearing on ESPN’s “The Return Of Sports” special, said there were a “couple of developments over the weekend that were really negative.” That included the MLBPA’s decision to “end good-faith negotiations.” Manfred: “I understand that the players were frustrated by the lack of progress on the monetary issue, but this is about a lot more than money. We need an agreement with the MLBPA on health and safety protocols in order to put the game back on the field safely and even more important, we need a commitment from the players that they can abide by those health protocols.” Additionally, Manfred said he hoped after the two sides found “common ground on the idea that we were going to pay the players full prorated salary that we would get some cooperation in terms of proceeding under the agreement that we negotiated with the MLBPA on March 26.” Manfred: “While (MLBPA Exec Dir) Tony Clark was declaring his desire to get back to work, the union’s top lawyer was out telling reporters, players and eventually getting back to owners that as soon as we issued a schedule as they requested, they intended to file a grievance claiming they were entitled to an additional billion dollars. ... That sort of bad-faith tactic makes it extremely difficult to move forward in these circumstances.”
A "DISASTER" TO THE GAME: Manfred admitted the negotiations have been “just a disaster for our game.” He said, “It’s important that we find a way to get past it and get the game back on the field for the benefit of our fans.” Manfred said, “The best opportunity to make an agreement is always to get into a room face-to-face, discuss the issues and try to find a cooperative path forward.” He noted, “We are running out of time. The clock is ticking on this, but the key, the important first step, is a willingness on the part of the MLBPA to get back at the table and engage in the process.” Manfred said there is “real risk” of the season not taking place, adding, “As long as there’s no dialogue, that risk is going to continue.”
GETTING NASTY: ESPN's Jeff Passan reacted to Manfred's comments and said the current fight between the league and the union is the "kind of fight that we haven’t seen since baseball went on strike in 1994 and lost a World Series.” Passan: "Baseball does not look good right now. ... This interview only added to what has been an awful two months for the sport, trying to get back to a return to play” (“The Return of Sports,” ESPN, 6/15).
