MLB team owners are having a tough time convincing players to take the brunt of financial losses
This week, MLB sent out a proposal to players regarding a salary reduction option so this year’s season can begin. MLB has been in discussion for weeks regarding the plans to resume baseball activities in the country, but it has been hard to get an agreement between team owners and the players’ union. The salary reduction proposal suggested cutting player salaries in an escalated way in which the players with the highest salaries would face the possibility of getting only 20% of their total normal salary for the season. Max Scherzer, a member of the MLB Players Association executive subcommittee and Washington Nationals pitcher, published a statement regarding the league’s proposal, describing the league’s proposal as a non-starter.
“After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players there’s no need to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions,” Scherzer tweeted. “We have previously negotiated a pay cut in the version of prorated salaries, and there’s no justification to accept a 2nd pay cut based upon the current information the union has received.” He added, “I’m glad to hear other players voicing the same viewpoint. MLB’s economic strategy would completely change if all documentation were to become public information.”
After the league released the sliding scale of compensation proposal, several complaints were heard from different sources, including Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brett Anderson and New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman, who wrote their opinions on social media this past Tuesday. “Interesting strategy of making the best most marketable players potentially look like the bad guys,” said Anderson.
