Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has reportedly presented to the players union his plan for re-starting the 2020 baseball season, including revenue sharing and a regimen for testing players for COVID-19.
Fox Business Network’s Charles Gasparino reported that Manfred made his pitch to the players that include cuts to both owners and players. Manfred said that he assumes that each team could lose as much as $100 million this year thanks to the coronavirus shutdowns.
The season Manfred laid out will also consist of 82 games that will initially be played without fans in the stands. Owners say that the 50-50 split to cover the losses is fair and that players may even gain a bit later in the season if fans are allowed back in stadiums to buy tickets.
The owners say they are already wary of sports agents and reps clamoring for more money and upsetting delicate deals. But the owners warn that if there is no season at all in 2020, players could lose hundreds of millions of dollars. Manfred added that this 2020 plan is a one-year deal that will not include money to old player deals.
Finally, the league is creating a comprehensive testing regime for players to make sure none of them have the coronavirus before they walk into the clubhouse and then out on the field.
“Owners have put in place hundreds of safety protocols after months of meetings w White House task force and other MDs,” Gasparino reported.
“Safety protocols involve testing of players, sanitizing ballparks, and how teams will travel,” Gasparino concluded.
BREAKING @RobManfred is said to be now making his pitch to the @MLB_PLAYERS. Sources say he will make the following points: Owners/league say salary cuts needed because each team will lose around $100 million given shortened 82 game season. Owners say they earn only 30 percent
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) May 12, 2020
Owners know player reps will balking at salary cuts but they will argue that players cld lose $1 billion in salary if there is no baseball in 2020. Owners say new rev deal just covers 2020 season and there is no money to apply old player deals given new #pandemic economics.
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) May 12, 2020
Safety protocols involve testing of players, sanitizing ball parks, and how teams will travel more later on @FoxBusiness @TeamCavuto
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) May 12, 2020
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