COVID-19 impact on MLB season

[Fear The Chorizo]

MLB has given MLBPA until Sunday to accept their latest proposal.

 

Ownership total payouts to players still haven’t really changed since their first offer.

 

Offer #1 (82 games, sliding scale) ~$1.23B.

Offer #2 (76 games, 75% prorated) ~ $1.43B- contingent on playoffs

Offer #3 (72 games, 80% prorated) ~$1.43B.- contingent on playoffs

Potentially: (50 games, 100% prorated) ~ $1.23B.

 

The owners just keep repackaging the same stupid proposal, fully knowing it won't be accepted by the players!

 

Conversely The players just came down $630 million in their last counter offer.

 

It's almost like the owners have a very good idea what the actual revenue stream they will have to work with this year with no ticket/gate income and the real possibility of limited gameday revenues in future years, and the players dont.

 

If this is true, I'm sure the Owners would have zero issue with opening their books to share with the Players so a deal could get done in short order.

 

Oh wait...

 

What is the point in opening up books based on prior seasons that included full stadiums and gate revenues to make a deal this year? That would be all about leverage for next year's CBA negotiation, which is exactly what this farce of a back and forth between players and owners is right now.

[A Swing and A Drive]

If you think that the owners proposals aren’t all about maximizing profits in the face of a pandemic you are kidding yourself.

 

I get that the owners are hoping the players help them absorb any 2020 loss of profits. How is this not the same as the players asking for a bigger share of the profits in a good year?

 

As much as I don’t like him, Scott Boras is correct. Owners want to privatize their profits but socialize their losses.

 

The owners simply need to absorb the 2020 financial hit (like practically EVERY other business in the country), and then next offseason, rail in the spending to offset the losses. This is when the players will feel the impact.

 

Instead the owners want to do both.

[owbc]

I’m done thinking about the financials, I already paid for my MLB at-bat subscription and I want some baseball to listen to in the evenings.

 

2020 will be fun and I will follow, but yes, it shouldn’t be compared with previous years. At least one bottom-10 team is likely to make the playoffs. If someone hits .400 it isn’t going to count. But if the rules are set and everyone agrees to them, then it is technically legitimate. And compared with other sports that abandoned most radical changes, this will be a really radical MLB season. Playoffs from day 1 essentially.

 

From a management perspective the challenges are intriguing. All about going with the hot hand and riding streaks. History doesn’t matter. If guy #45 on the roster is getting it done, he’s staying in the lineup. Everyone besides Yelich faces the risk of being benched for a hotter hand. Hader can pitch a TON since he’s not being saved for anything.

 

The biggest bummer would be if a number of top players choose to sit the season out. I wouldn’t care that much if that was the case.

[Fear The Chorizo]

There arent profits to be had this season across the board for mlb teams, because there isnt a true revenue sharing model for the actual revenue streams they have to draw from.

 

Argue it's a way for mlb teams to curb financial operating losses, sure. But dont state it's about maximizing profits for all 30 teams.

[A Swing and A Drive]

There arent profits to be had this season across the board for mlb teams, because there isnt a true revenue sharing model for the actual revenue streams they have to draw from.

 

Argue it's a way for mlb teams to curb financial operating losses, sure. But dont state it's about maximizing profits for all 30 teams.

 

If you think that the owners are willing to hold a 2020 season knowing that there are no profits to be had, you are surely kidding yourself.

[JosephC]

MLB has given MLBPA until Sunday to accept their latest proposal.

 

Ownership total payouts to players still haven’t really changed since their first offer.

 

Offer #1 (82 games, sliding scale) ~$1.23B.

Offer #2 (76 games, 75% prorated) ~ $1.43B- contingent on playoffs

Offer #3 (72 games, 80% prorated) ~$1.43B.- contingent on playoffs

Potentially: (50 games, 100% prorated) ~ $1.23B.

 

The owners just keep repackaging the same stupid proposal, fully knowing it won't be accepted by the players!

 

Conversely The players just came down $630 million in their last counter offer.

 

Those are not the numbers that I've been seeing. I was under the impression the 50 game model was more around 1.1 billion and the latest offer guarantees 1.5 billion if the playoff happen.

 

The players also had a chance for their auditors to have full access to the books when the owners proposed a 50/50 revenue split and the players immediately rejected it.

 

I was on record saying an earlier proposal by the owners seemed a bit short, but maybe would be alright depending on the amount of playoff money that would be kicked to the players. Based on the revenue estimates, it seemed like 1.5 billion should be the fair numbers that players should be shooting for. Looks like the owners have gotten to that point. If I was a player, an offer that guarantees 1.5 billion if the playoffs happen would put me in favor of playing.

[BuckyBrewer61]

So would it feel like a legit season at 81 games?

 

72 games? Won’t “feel right”?

 

Where is your cutoff?

 

The year 2020 will have many asterisks looking back but it will be nothing if not memorable.

 

“Feeling Robbed of the Moment” is a good way to describe 2020 in general. Not getting to see your kid graduate or your parent die.

 

Don’t rob us of baseball.

 

Play Ball!

 

If they play a 10-game season, then the two teams with the best record play a 1-game World Series, you will be just as elated with that title as you would have been if the Brewers won the World Series last year?

 

Point being that at some point it just doesn’t feel like the same thing. Where that cutoff is obviously is a personal opinion. But for me personally, 50-games, a modified playoff with potentially 16 teams, and empty stadiums is past that cutoff point.

 

Like I said, I still want baseball. But to me, no, this season will not feel like a normal World Series championship. I wish it did, but that’s just the way I feel, and I’m not alone. And as someone who - like many of you - has an illogically deep emotional investment in the Brewers, yes I would feel robbed of that moment I’ve been dreaming of.

[3and2Fastball]

It’s entirely possible that MLB would be a better overall product with 50-70 game seasons. Less arm injuries. Less superstars being worn down by August let alone October... fresher bodies means more exciting plays... every game means something

[BrewersSuperCollector]

Socialism if the owners are losing money. Privatization of the owners are making money.

[TURBO]

Again, this is what it all comes down to for me.

 

No matter how long the season ends up being, 48 games, 72 games, whatever, someone is going to win the World Series title.

 

I'd rather it be the Brewers than someone else.

 

I am going to approach this season like any other, World Series dreams and all of that...

 

An * by the title means nothing to me, winning a World Series does. If it comes down to winning the World Series this season (no matter how many games are played) vs losing it, I'd take winning it every single damn time!

 

Here's to the 2020 World Series Champion Milwaukee Brewers!

[A Swing and A Drive]

Again, this is what it all comes down to for me.

 

No matter how long the season ends up being, 48 games, 72 games, whatever, someone is going to win the World Series title.

 

I'd rather it be the Brewers than someone else.

 

I am going to approach this season like any other, World Series dreams and all of that...

 

An * by the title means nothing to me, winning a World Series does. If it comes down to winning the World Series this season (no matter how many games are played) vs losing it, I'd take winning it every single damn time!

 

Here's to the 2020 World Series Champion Milwaukee Brewers!

 

Absolutely. And if we come up just short we can all still enjoy the ride!

[pacopete4]

Eh, we will stink this year because we have such a lousy, stingy owner.

[jerichoholicninja]

In my totally uneducated and uniformed opinion it seems neither side is even fighting for the same thing. The owners are concerned about the financials for 2020 while the players are all about trying to get the upper hand for the next CBA. Neither side really cares if there is a 2020 season because the owners will probably come out ahead if there is no baseball vs having to pay for a shortened year with no ticket sales and the players don't care if there is a 2020 season because they will then feel like they have "won" and can get the owners to agree to almost anything so that there will be a 2021 season and they can get back to making money.

 

I've stopped caring about this long ago though. If there is baseball, great. And I've gone long enough without MLB that if there isn't any till 2021 it will make no difference in my life.

 

The NBA looks like it is headed toward a similar mess but for different reasons.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Yup. Same as Jericho. I got other things going on in my life. Watching a lot of new series on Netflix, listening to a lot of new music, and getting some other stuff done around the house when I'm not at work. I *miss* baseball, but it's not impacting the quality of my life. I'll be happy if it comes back, I'll watch, and root, and cheer, but if it doesn't, it doesn't. I can't control what happens. None of us can.

 

It is what it is. I'll roll with whatever happens. It's not that I don't care, but it's beyond my control. I'm not mad about these guys fighting over their billions, I just don't care how they resolve it.

[Boomer5]

In my totally uneducated and uniformed opinion it seems neither side is even fighting for the same thing. The owners are concerned about the financials for 2020 while the players are all about trying to get the upper hand for the next CBA. Neither side really cares if there is a 2020 season because the owners will probably come out ahead if there is no baseball vs having to pay for a shortened year with no ticket sales and the players don't care if there is a 2020 season because they will then feel like they have "won" and can get the owners to agree to almost anything so that there will be a 2021 season and they can get back to making money.

 

I've stopped caring about this long ago though. If there is baseball, great. And I've gone long enough without MLB that if there isn't any till 2021 it will make no difference in my life.

 

The NBA looks like it is headed toward a similar mess but for different reasons.

 

Excellent take. Neither side is fighting to get on the field.

 

They could have framed a 50 game season as a “every game matters” spin that would have sold well. It’s all about money, which I don’t mind to a point but unless the games start no one makes anything.

[pacopete4]

I saw a tweet that the average baseball fan age is now 57, up from 50 in 2000. Sad stuff that the MLB has done very little to grow the game and take on new generations of fans.

 

If they play, they play. It’s sad and pathetic that it has come to that. But like others have said, I’ve found other things to fill my time. Heck, with other sports coming back, who needs baseball I guess.

[NYChez]

I saw a tweet that the average baseball fan age is now 57, up from 50 in 2000. Sad stuff that the MLB has done very little to grow the game and take on new generations of fans.

 

If they play, they play. It’s sad and pathetic that it has come to that. But like others have said, I’ve found other things to fill my time. Heck, with other sports coming back, who needs baseball I guess.

Overgeneralizing, I can see Gen Z not only disliking the game of baseball but also seeing the business of MLB being against everything they believe in.

 

This coming at the same time when the sport has the most clueless, out of touch commissioner in its history (if Gary Bettman and Roger Goodell are clearly outdoing and out-efforting you, then what value are you adding?). The players at the face of the current issues and the owners hiding between someone (or some tweets) aren’t coming across any better.

 

This all seems to be a toxic mix for the future of MLB.

[madbad2000]

I agree with a lot of posters in that this hiatus has really put a change in how I spend my time and money. I love baseball and will be glad to see it come back in some form. I won't be tuning in to every game or going out of my way to see a game in person. I was already at my limit from a cost/benefit ratio in terms of the price of taking my family and the yltravel effort required. I am lucky enough to have a beautiful minor league stadium within minutes from my home and my son already loves going there. So I will likely just fill the void through that avenue while checking in from afar to see how the crew is doing.

[A Swing and A Drive]

Nice article from ESPN on explaining the crossroads Baseball is currently at and how the wounds are all self inflicted.

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29313238/will-there-baseball-year-not-jeff-passan-breaks-mlb-ugly-labor-fight

[FVBrewerFan]

Just cancel the season. I've seen parts of Bundesliga matches since they started play again. I don't want to watch MLB in generic stadiums with no fans, playing only a 1/3 of the schedule. Will I? Sure, but it will be really weird and if the Brewers win a WS this way both the journey and end result won't be as satisfying for me. I'll take it, but I woud rather just punt on this season and win it next year.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Just cancel the season. I've seen parts of Bundesliga matches since they started play again. I don't want to watch MLB in generic stadiums with no fans, playing only a 1/3 of the schedule. Will I? Sure, but it will be really weird and if the Brewers win a WS this way both the journey and end result won't be as satisfying for me. I'll take it, but I woud rather just punt on this season and win it next year.

 

I have a tough time understanding this line of thinking. Whether they have any sort of season this year will likely have no bearing on next year, so why not play in 2020? The game being played on the field is still gonna be baseball, and any baseball this summer would be better than none in my opinion.

[A Swing and A Drive]

I've never seen such concern for the Brewers winning a World Series before!

 

In fact, it's been the exact OPPOSITE for over 50 years.

[tmwiese55]

I wouldn't say I don't care. But at this point I've accepted it as very real possibility and will not be overly upset or angry if it's the case. 3 months of no sports has more than prepped more for it and it won't be a big deal to me

 

No sports for 3 months has already done enough damage to society as a whole. Sure if you're 25 years it's not such a big deal, but when you are a senior you cherish every healthy year you have left or if you have a terminal illness, every possible distraction from your suffering is meaningful and not having daily sports to watch/follow IS a BIG DEAL. Especially when the alternative is constant bombardment of turmoil in our streets. Athletes, owners, sports media, politicians. There's plenty of blame to go around. Sports has been a fabric of American society for generations and a unifying thread. But like most American institutions, it too seems to be under attack.

 

You're correct on everything here. And as a sports nerd I fully get that. I also just had a friend with terminal illness so saw that aspect first hand in wanting the titles we got so close in baseball and basketball the last two years. He actually had a great joke while talking about trades and such (think deadline deals in baseball) in that he'd say something along the lines of "well, I'm clearly in win now all in mode"

 

Really was merely saying that we've already lost at least half due to the situation, we've now had 3 months with nothing so I'm kinda used to it (never thought I'd say that) so if it doesn't come through it won't change much from status quo. I guess, I've basically just accepted that the the negatives you just pointed out (again, it's correct) are already happening. So, if it ends up not I'll be pleasantly surprised. Oh and assuming football and NBA happens we'll actually have too many sports to distract us then as that will be with all the other things that were delayed and pushed back to fall. I'd gladly take it. But yea if all were to not happen it would be absolutely brutal.

 

The 50ish game season would sure be weird. But would definitely put an interesting twist on baseball by making each game so important (the opposite of the vibe of a normal very long season).

Edited June 15, 2020 by tmwiese55

[FVBrewerFan]

Just cancel the season. I've seen parts of Bundesliga matches since they started play again. I don't want to watch MLB in generic stadiums with no fans, playing only a 1/3 of the schedule. Will I? Sure, but it will be really weird and if the Brewers win a WS this way both the journey and end result won't be as satisfying for me. I'll take it, but I woud rather just punt on this season and win it next year.

 

I have a tough time understanding this line of thinking. Whether they have any sort of season this year will likely have no bearing on next year, so why not play in 2020? The game being played on the field is still gonna be baseball, and any baseball this summer would be better than none in my opinion.

 

MLB Lite is better than none in your opinion, and that's the case for a lot of people. I rather have none, and at this point just cancel the NBA season too. It's really just trying to come up with anything and call it a legitimate season/result, and it's just not. Like I said, I'm sure I'll try to watch anyhow. And it would be exciting if the Brewers kept advancing. Yet it would come with this weird experience and asterisk in the background, and that's what bothers me.

 

Best analogy, we went out to a restaurant a couple weeks back, that had limited seating. Nobody at the bar, only 25% of tables used. Yes, it was technically dining out but without the atmosphere it wasn't the same. Felt mote like being fed than dining out, and I'm afraid that's what any MLB season will fee like this year.

 

The purpose of any sport is to entertain, not just create results. Watching my team play in a generic empty stadium is not very entertaining.

[Jopal78]

I can appreciate the arguments that the best team may not win it all with a 50 game season, but I’ll be happy to see professional baseball again.

 

Think about it, at 86 who knows how long Uecker will still be doing games so even in a 50 game season we get at least another 25 games or so of Mr. Baseball. This could be Braun’s last year for the Brewers (or all together) and as a player who first came up while I was in my late 20s and has been a constant as I move into my early 40s, I’ll be happy to see him play for Milwaukee one more season. Also with the players getting service time either way, may as well get something out of Hader, Woodruff, etc as they inch towards free agency. Finally, to me the Brewers are like Usinger’s sausages, it’s just not summer without them.