Tampa Bay Rays: MLBPA plan will be rejected, step in right direction

Tampa Bay Rays News: We take a look at the details and the feasibility of the MLBPA’s first proposal to the owners.

Tampa Bay Rays News: Bob Nightengale of the USA TODAY says “there definitely will be baseball this summer” in a tweet regarding the players’ first proposal for the 2020 season.

Tampa Bay Rays – MLBPA 2020 Proposal

• 114-game schedule
• “High-risk players” have the ability to opt-out but still receive pay and service time.
• Salary advance during spring training
• Two years of 14-team playoffs.
• $100 million in deferred payments on salaries exceeding $10 million if there is no postseason
• Additional commitment to miking up players during games.
• An offer to hold All-Star and Home Run Derby events.

Tampa Bay Rays – Breakdown of the Proposal

The owners initially offered an 82-game season. The players are bargaining for more because they get paid on a per-game basis. Without fans, these are just more games in which the owners will operate at a loss. Declined

High-Risk players can opt-out of playing and still get paid. This one makes perfect sense, it really just depends on how many players qualify as high-risk. You have to watch out for the health and safety of the men on the field. Acceptable

Salary Advance during spring training. I’ll refrain from commenting on this until I get more information. If this is deducted from their per-game pay, it makes sense. The hangup on this one may be that it would be most definitely be non-refundable in the event of a second outbreak and the cancellation of the season. I’m leaning toward a decline.

Expanded Playoffs – Playoffs are where the money is made. The owners offered a 14-team playoff in their proposal. Owners stand to generate about $1 billion in an expanded postseason, and the players want to do this for two years? Acceptable

Deferred Payments – In the event of a postseason cancellation, the owners would likely be operating at a huge loss. This is the whole reason they initially offered a revenue split and then a sliding-scale structure. In order to operate at a loss all season due to lack of ticket sales, merchandise, food, etc… the owners need to earn that postseason money.

This is the big one for me. The players are willing to accept deferred payments on salaries over $10 million if the postseason is canceled. The extra year of expanded playoffs increases the projected revenue from around $777 million to $1 billion. The extra year of expanded playoffs and miking up players at exhibition contests could make the owners more comfortable with the deferred payments. I don’t know if they’ll accept this the way it is, but this is a step down the yellow-brick road that leads to a 2020 season.*

The players have just shown they are willing to listen to the owners and work with them on the biggest issue. The owners probably won’t accept this as it is, but I believe this is a great sign for the 2020 season.

*You know, I’ve never actually seen that movie all the way through. Is the yellow-brick road actually a good thing or is it leading them to certain doom?