Major League Baseball and its Players Association need to understand this isn’t a traditional collective bargaining negotiation.
Not only is the 2020 season on the line, but public perception of the game.
The last thing this world needs in the midst of a global pandemic is a millionaires vs. billionaires spat.
Major League Baseball was wrong to causally throw revenue sharing into the equation before talks even began, fully knowing it would shake the hornet’s nest of the MLBPA, which views it as code for salary cap. This clearly is not the time to confront that polarizing issue.
And certainly Rays’ Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Blake Snell didn’t help matters by saying the following during a Twitch stream:
“I'm not splitting no revenue. I want all mine. ‘Bro y'all got to understand, too, because y’all going to be like: ‘Bro, play for the love of the game.
"Man, what’s wrong with you, bro? Money should not be a thing.’ Bro, I’m risking my life. What do you mean, ‘It should not be a thing?’ It 100 per cent should be a thing.”
Major League Baseball should understand player concerns about health and not play public relation games in the midst of a pandemic. Snell should have articulated his thoughts much better than sounding like a line from a Black Keys song.
Labor stoppages hurt baseball greatly. Fans just had enough after more than two decades of it hanging overhead, culminating with cancellation of the 1994 World Series and replacement players the following spring. Relative labor peace since has helped, but not completely undone the damage.
Baseball fell behind. Now it has a chance to be ahead of the curve for a change - and for the good of the nation.
Instead it has started with a call from an old playbook that hasn’t worked in the past.
The sooner the owners and players move by this, the better.
Before it is too late.