When the global coronavirus pandemic led to a shutdown of all U.S. professional sports, it appeared that MLB would be in a position to be one of the first sports to return.
Fast forward three months, and baseball might not return at all in 2020.
In a Monday interview with ESPN, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that he was “not confident” there would be a 2020 season — this came five days after Manfred said he was “100 percent” certain there would be baseball.
Over the course of those five days, the owners and MLBPA have exchanged proposal rejections and pointed statements. But it ultimately had the players telling the owners to tell them when and where to report for the season. In doing so, the MLBPA put Manfred and MLB in a position to either move forward with a season or basically be exposed in their efforts to play the lowest number of games (a money-saving move).
Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer — one of the more outspoken players amid these negotiations — broke down exactly what the owners were doing with Manfred’s latest remarks. He called out the stalling tactic in a Twitter thread.
Other players offered their support for Bauer’s comments.
This battle will continue to get uglier, and nobody comes out of it looking worse than Manfred.
