As the coronavirus lockdown hits baseball revenues, owners want players to take a salary hit. It could end in a nasty standoff as MLB tries to restart
Major League Baseball is still looking for ways to get its season underway, nearly two months after the campaign should have started. South Korea and Taiwan have already resumed baseball without fans during the Covid-19 pandemic, and MLB reportedly envisions an 82-game season beginning in early July. But for that to happen, the owners and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) need to reach a labor agreement encompassing everything from salary distribution to testing guidelines to suitable playing facilities.
This week, MLB owners approved a plan that would pay players a percentage of their 2020 salaries based on a 50-50 split between players and owners of MLB’s revenue from the regular season and postseason. That is a non-starter for the players union, which refuses to agree to any deal that they feel represents a salary cap.
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