Things may be about to get messy as Major League Baseball prepares for the economic hit of potentially playing games without fans.
MLB has left open the possibility of asking players to take further salary reductions in 2020. That plan has reportedly gone over badly. According to Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports, players are furious over the threat, and one source warned that there is “going to be a war” if more concessions are demanded.
Part of the reason was that players thought they had an agreement to pay prorated salaries based on an agreement with the league in March. They view further attempts to cut salary as an attempt to go back on those terms by MLB.
This has been brewing for a few weeks now. Obviously, playing games in front of fans would result in a lot of lost revenue. However, players are taking the risk of playing, and their contracts are guaranteed. Between that risk and the fact that players thought they had an agreement, it’s clear that they’re going to fight for their money if it comes down to it.
