If Major League Baseball wants to stick with its hopeful start date for the Fourth of July weekend, it has its work cut out for it.
For the first time Thursday, the league reportedly proposed an economic plan to the MLB Players’ Association for revenue sharing during the impending abbreviated season. Per USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale, it called for players to receive a prorated percentage of their salaries on a sliding scale through the playoffs, with the MLB’s highest-paid players taking the largest pay cuts and the youngest, lowest-paid players making most of their guaranteed prorated salaries.
But according to Nightengale and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, the MLBPA is “very disappointed” with the first economic proposal.
Keep in mind: This is a first proposal with a long week of negotiations likely ahead. https://t.co/zwgdxSqMv9
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 26, 2020
The MLB Players Association has not commented publicly on MLB’s economic sliding pay scale plan, but privately is extremely disappointed, saying the proposal involves massive additional pay cuts . The union also is far apart on health and safety protocols with MLB.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 26, 2020
“The players agreed on March 26 to be paid on a prorated basis, but owners are seeking a new deal with revenues expected to fall significantly short as result of the 82-game season and postseason likely to be played without fans in the stands,” Nightengale reported. “Players would receive pay cuts of more than 50%, and perhaps as much as 75% for the game’s top-paid players.
