BASEBALL IS BACk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BTS]

So what’s the threshold for fantasy baseball to happen this year? 50 games wouldn’t really cut it.

[glory]

If Manfred can unilaterally start the season at any length as was reported earlier, then looks like 50 games might be where we are heading, especially if MLB isn't going to send a counter proposal back.

[saskjayfan]

We'll see what the MLBPA counters with, I feel like the MLB has them on the road to exactly what they wanted which is 82 games prorated.

 

 

 

The players stance is we negotiated pro-rated salaries screw you. The owners in turn are saying we negotiated the ability to control the length of the season so screw you.

 

The players should get a fair proportion of revenues. In this upside down world maybe that fair amount is an amount where owners make zero profit this year. However, they are asking the owners to lose money this year. That is not a fair proportion of revenues. We're talking about multi millionaires with their hands out asking for charity. Now the owners can afford to lose money for one year, but I don't want billionaire owners giving money to multi millionaire players. In the world we live in I want the billionaires to donate to real people effected by covid losses. If each owner is going to lose 50 to 100 million dollars a team, I'd rather they took that money and gave it to poor people who really need the money. The players need to wake the f*** up and be reasonable.

[BlueRocky]

It’s hard to see any team making a profit this year short of a deep postseason run, even with prorated payroll.

 

If season doesn’t happen, players get nothing and are one year older, I don’t see how that benefits them. Most teams will operate at a loss either way.

 

A second wave of spread could happen and the season gets cancelled half way through, all it takes is a couple players or coaches to test positive to gut this entire operation. If they don’t get an agreement and start the season soon, there won’t be a season to argue about.

[glory]

It’s hard to see any team making a profit this year short of a deep postseason run, even with prorated payroll.

 

If season doesn’t happen, players get nothing and are one year older, I don’t see how that benefits them. Most teams will operate at a loss either way.

 

A second wave of spread could happen and the season gets cancelled half way through, all it takes is a couple players or coaches to test positive to gut this entire operation. If they don’t get an agreement and start the season soon, there won’t be a season to argue about.

 

The owners probably only really care about the playoffs, as with an expanded playoff format, they can get more TV revenue with more playoff rounds/content. Manfred can unilaterally start the season at any length only if players are paid at their prorated rates, so a 50 game season means the players get around 30% of their salaries. In that scenario, the owners greatly benefit with fewer regular season games + expanded playoffs. I'm not sure how many other revenue generating gimmicks there are for baseball right now. I like the idea of an off season HR derby/All star game played in a warm weather climate, but whether the players would agree to that if/when Manfred forces a 50 game season on them is another story.

 

Although, if one or 2 players testing positive is enough to stop the league from functioning, then you definitely have to consider whether it's worth it for either side.

[BlueRocky]

They’ll be testing the coaches and players regularly but someone getting infected is pretty inevitable. Reminds me of what happened with the NBA and Rudy Gobert.

 

A 50 game season with expanded postseason is better than nothing. I think both sides want to play, it’s just about how much $.

[Carlos Danger]

50 games is not even two months! Total BS, they need at least a half season!

[bones10]

Dont need to get the ball rolling pretty quick here?

[Abomination]

I feel like the best thing they could do is just write off the season, and spend the time negotiating a new CBA right now. There's pretty much a 100% chance at least SOME players will come down with COVID while playing, and that's just going to cause a giant mess. Figure out the upcoming labour issues right now so we don't have the possibility of another stoppage in the '21 offseason, which combined with this, would be catastrophic.

[Grant77]

I feel like the best thing they could do is just write off the season, and spend the time negotiating a new CBA right now. There's pretty much a 100% chance at least SOME players will come down with COVID while playing, and that's just going to cause a giant mess. Figure out the upcoming labour issues right now so we don't have the possibility of another stoppage in the '21 offseason, which combined with this, would be catastrophic.

 

Those goals can surely be accomplished simultaneously.

[Slade]

Not about baseball but glad to see the NBA was able to figure it out with a reasonable plan and Adam Silver willingness to pull the plug if more issues arise. I'm sure a similar agreement can be reached with the MLB playing in Florida.

 

[BlueRocky]

Is this the mini-tournament to determine the 8th seeds during october?

[Spanky99]

Is this the mini-tournament to determine the 8th seeds during october?

 

Huh, October?

[BlueRocky]

The NBA schedule is bizarre.

I guess they’ll finish the season and playoffs in Aug-Oct, squeeze a draft in, then start another season in December.

[glory]

I would be shocked if training camp starts 3 weeks after the end of the NBA Finals. I think the players union will have that changed. Regardless it’s good to see the NBA coming back. I expect baseball to (begrudgingly) come back as well, but if they don’t at least the NBA will be running for a while.

[Spanky99]

NHL's back too, MOFO's.

 

 

MLB is not!

[LGBJ29]

I would be shocked if training camp starts 3 weeks after the end of the NBA Finals. I think the players union will have that changed. Regardless it’s good to see the NBA coming back. I expect baseball to (begrudgingly) come back as well, but if they don’t at least the NBA will be running for a while.

 

It would be a month and it would only impact 2 teams. 9 teams will have been off since March, another 5 will have only played 8 games since March. I don't think the union will have too much wiggle room.

Mark Cuban was on PMT a couple weeks ago and has been advocating for the NBA to start its season in December to offset the competition with football and hockey. This could line up for a permanent shift.

[glory]

It would be a month and it would only impact 2 teams. 9 teams will have been off since March, another 5 will have only played 8 games since March. I don't think the union will have too much wiggle room.

Mark Cuban was on PMT a couple weeks ago and has been advocating for the NBA to start its season in December to offset the competition with football and hockey. This could line up for a permanent shift.

 

The one thing I heard was that they wanted to start the season Dec 1 so that the Finals wouldn't conflict with the Olympics in Japan, which the international players want to play for. I can see the logic there, but still, they could conceivably play Game 7 of the NBA Finals in the 2nd week of October, and then have to prepare for training camp like 3-4 weeks later. Yes it will only apply to the two teams in the Finals, but even the Raptors got 3-4 months off after winning the title last year. It's a grind. This playoff schedule will have no travel, but also less time off in between games, after they will have already been off for 3 months quarantining. If the Olympics is the reason, then I could see it staying on December 1, but a lot of players are going to hate it.

 

And yeah, I think this will be a permanent change for the NBA. Without the Olympics, they might start the 2021-22 season on Christmas Day, which is what I thought they'd do this year, but either way, it's better for them to avoid the NFL as much as possible, and a December start date does that.

[Boxcar]

It would be a month and it would only impact 2 teams. 9 teams will have been off since March, another 5 will have only played 8 games since March. I don't think the union will have too much wiggle room.

Mark Cuban was on PMT a couple weeks ago and has been advocating for the NBA to start its season in December to offset the competition with football and hockey. This could line up for a permanent shift.

 

Cuban on PMT eh. Did PFT try to pitch NFL branded nightcaps again? I'll have to listen.

[saskjayfan]

Cuban on PMT eh. Did PFT try to pitch NFL branded nightcaps again? I'll have to listen.

 

The NBA is taking over the baseball is back thread..lol. Those greedy baseball f***s.

[Boxcar]

The NBA schedule is bizarre.

I guess they’ll finish the season and playoffs in Aug-Oct, squeeze a draft in, then start another season in December.

 

Good work, MLB

[Spanky99]

This is wild...

 

AP Exclusive: MLB plan saves big-spending teams $100M each

 

Jun 8, 2020 , By RONALD BLUM

 

NEW YORK (AP) The New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers would each save more than $100 million on player salaries as part of management’s proposal to start the coronavirus-delayed season than they would under the union's plan, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

 

Top stars accustomed to eye-popping salaries that set them apart from mere All-Stars would experience by far the steepest cuts. Set to earn $36 million each, Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole would get $25.3 million under the union’s plan and a base of $5.6 million under the teams' proposal, with the chance to get back to about $8 million if the postseason is played. A rookie at the minimum would get $396,537 from the union plan and $256,706 from the MLB proposal - not much more than the $222,222 per game Trout and Cole originally were slated to earn.

 

The Yankees project to pay $155 million to players under the union’s plan, according to the AP analysis based on frozen March 28 rosters, and spend $48 million on salary under management’s proposal. The Astros drop from $149 million to $46 million and the Dodgers from $147 million to $46 million.

 

Lower-spending teams save, too, but not nearly as much because their starting points are lower. Miami is at $33 million under the union’s plan and $16 million under MLB’s. Pittsburgh’s salaries would drop from $36 million to $17 million and Baltimore’s from $43 million to $18 million.

 

to accept prorated shares of their salaries during a shortened season, part of a deal that guaranteed $170 million in advances and service time even if the season is scrapped. More than 100 players gathered for a digital meeting Thursday and reaffirmed their stance against additional cuts.

 

A player with a $20 million salary, like St. Louis All-Star catcher Yadier Molina, would be guaranteed just below $4 million under the MLB plan and about $14.1 million under the union plan. Tampa Bay pitcher Charlie Morton’s $15 million salary would be cut to a $3.2 million base under the MLB plan and $10.6 million under the MLB proposal.

 

Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto’s $10 million salary would drop to a $2.4 million base as part of the MLB proposal and to $7 million under the union plan.

 

Milwaukee pitcher Brett Anderson would fall from $5 million to $1.4 million in MLB’s plan and to $3.5 million in the union’s formula.

 

“Interesting strategy of making the best most marketable players potentially look like the bad guys,”

 

after MLB made its proposal.

 

Salaries for the 899 players on big league rosters and injured lists at the time spring training stopped total about $2.7 billion under the union’s plan and approximately $950 million in management’s proposal. The sides estimate salaries for all 40-man roster players would add to $2.8 billion in the union’s plan and $1.2 billion in management’s proposal, not including a $200 million postseason bonus pool MLB proposed.

 

MLB and the union have been making plans to start the season next month in ballparks without fans, and teams say they will sustain huge losses. In response to the union’s stance, MLB is considering proposing a much shorter schedule,

 

or fewer.

 

The pandemic-induced stoppage has wrecked baseball’s finances. MLB say that by playing in empty ballparks, teams would combine to lose $640,000 for each additional regular-season game.

 

Teams also say they fear extending play deep into the fall, as the union proposes, would risk a second wave of the coronavirus that would prevent the postseason from being played.

 

Both sides have said they hope to start the season around the beginning of July, and talks may intensify next week. Some on the players’ side fear teams may attempt to implement a relatively short schedule, which could provoke the threat of a grievance and to play while seeking money damages.

 

The AP study looked solely at 2020 salaries and did not include prorated shares of signing bonuses, which are guaranteed when a contract is signed and approved by the commissioner’s office.

 

starting at 10% and rising to 90% for the amounts of salaries above $10 million, followed by prorating based on an 82-game season.

 

stretching through October.

[Brownie19]

MLB just proposed a 76 game season with 75% of prorated salaries...

[glory]

According to Passan, sounds like 48 game season with no expanded playoffs is the likely scenario for 2020.

 

 

The fact that these group of morons could not get the season started on July 4, not due to health but due to money, makes this entire season pointless. They had one freakin' job. Get the season started on Independence Day, and then wrap themselves around the damn flag while they had an entire month to themselves to promote the game as 'Murica's National Pastime. I can't believe greed got in the way of something so easy.

 

A 48 game season can be finished in a month and half, so I fully expect baseball to be stupid enough to begin the season after the NBA already starts up.

[Slade]

Feels like they can still get to 82 games and prorated salary, it's not that much more than what's on the table. At this point I don't even care, I just want to watch some games.

[Spanky99]

See ya in 2022... lol

 

[BTS]

Yeah, there's not going to be a season.

[glory]

Yeah, there's not going to be a season.

 

Manfred can still unilaterally start a season at any length as long as the players get their prorated salary. So if the MLBPA turns down this latest offer then Manfred can just say "48 game season starts on (insert date)" and the players either show up or strike.

 

So I think there will be baseball, just a really short season that no one will give a damn about when all is said and done.

[Brownie19]

Manfred can still unilaterally start a season at any length as long as the players get their prorated salary. So if the MLBPA turns down this latest offer then Manfred can just say "48 game season starts on (insert date)" and the players either show up or strike.

 

So I think there will be baseball, just a really short season that no one will give a damn about when all is said and done.

 

Why won't anyone give a damn about it?

 

A 48 game schedule heightens the importance of every game. It may almost feel like playoff baseball for the entire season. While I understand that goes against tradition and the traditional strategy - it could make it very interesting for fans to watch.

[glory]

Why won't anyone give a damn about it?

 

A 48 game schedule heightens the importance of every game. It may almost feel like playoff baseball for the entire season. While I understand that goes against tradition and the traditional strategy - it could make it very interesting for fans to watch.

 

According to Joel Sherman, the proposed 76 game season would begin on July 10 after a 3 week ST. So using that timeline, if it ends up being a 48 game season, then it's likely going to start later than that since they won't need as much time to get through that many games. If it's a 48 game season, then it would not surprise me at all if they begin it in August and run it through September, and start the playoffs as normal in October. They don't need 3 months to get through 48 games. No one will care because if MLB hasn't started by July 31, then everyone's attention will go right to the NBA. I'm sure Canada will be focused on hockey instead of the Jays as well.

 

I think a 48 game season is fine as an experiment to see if a shorter season would be more interesting for audiences, but if it goes directly head to head with other sports like the NBA and NHL (and eventually NFL), then 1) MLB likely isn't going to get the casual fans to watch with other options available, and 2) the core fans who are old and don't like change are going to hate the shortened season. They'd be turning off both sides.

 

I think MLB had to start on July 4, or at least in July where they could get a couple of weeks of regular season games in before the other sports start up. I guess it's not too late to still do that, but they seem to be waiting for a reason.