A day after Rays lefty Blake Snell explained on a Twitch live stream that he will not play this season if his salary is reduced beyond the prorated “guarantee” that was agreed upon with owners in March, Bryce Harper responded on a Twitch live stream of his own.
MLB owners approved a plan that would have the season begin in early July, provided enough testing is in place and public health officials have signed off on the parameters being sufficiently safe.
There is still, however, the issue of player pay.
The initial agreement guaranteed players a full year of service time, 4% of their 2020 salaries through the end of May, and then the prorated amount of their salary based on the number of games played this season.
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However, owners have since pushed for a 50-50 revenue split with players because of the extraordinary circumstances, and are seeking a further reduction of the prorated pay because of the steep financial losses of playing out a season without fans in the stands. Ticket sales accounted for approximately $4-5 billion last season.
The players’ association, led by executive director Tony Clark, has countered that the owners are taking advantage of the global pandemic to institute a salary cap.
Flip the Page to see Bryce’s take:
