MLB players association will reportedly ask for longer season, no further salary cuts

The Major League Baseball owners’ proposal of drastic salary cuts in addition to pro-rated salary already agreed to by the players in March, has fallen flat. The most pointed response to date came from Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, a member of the MLB Players Association executive subcommittee.

“After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players there’s no reason to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions,” Scherzer tweeted on Wednesday night. “I’m glad to hear other players voicing the same viewpoint and believe MLB’s economic strategy would completely change if all documentation were to become public information.”

The owners on Tuesday proposed a graduated pay cut in addition to the pro-rated salaries the players already agreed to in March, with higher salaries getting cut the most. Mike Trout, for instance, would see his $36 million salary for 2020 reduced to just under $5.6 million for an 82-game season.

Similarly, the three-time Cy Young Award winner Scherzer’s salary for 2020 is $35 million for a full season. Pro-rated to 82 games, he’d be at $17.7 million. With the owners’ proposal, his salary would be reduced to just under $5.5 million for the regular season.

Jeff Passan at ESPN reported the players association plans to send a proposal to the owners by the end of the week, one that does not include further salary concessions.

Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich at The Athletic reported the players’ proposal would push for a longer season than 82 games, and suggested that deferrals could be a way to bridge the gap between the two sides. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the players will ask for as many as a 110-game season.

Links

• Mike Trout taped a message of support for this year’s high school and college graduates.
• J.P. Hoornstra at the Orange County Register wrote about challenges faced by foreign players during the pandemic.