It’s been nearly a month since the MLB season was supposed to begin. But while there is still no baseball, there has still been plenty of baseball-related news. Let’s catch up on everything making headlines over the past couple of days.
Not a Good Sign
With no games in sight for the foreseeable future, Commissioner Rob Manfred has decided that starting on May 1, teams will be able to reduce the salary or lay off employees, including managers, coaches, trainers, and scouts, both at the major league level and in the minors. Manfred says that without games, teams are losing revenue and won’t be able to meet the financial obligations of its employees.
Of course, it remains to be seen how many teams will be laying off employees on May 1 and whether they would cut ties with their managers or members of their coaching staff. Nearly a dozen teams have already pledged to pay their full-time employees through the end of May.
Three-State Plan
Behind the scenes, Manfred and MLB are still kicking the tires on several potential plans to play games this year. The so-called Arizona Plan has received a lot of press, but one of the other options would involve sending teams to Florida, Texas, and Arizona, using three different states as the headquarters for teams.
All three states have big-league stadiums with retractable roofs that will guard against rainouts while Florida and Arizona also have spring training venues that could host games. However, some players have also expressed concerns about any plan that would mean being sequestered from the public and keep them from their family for several months. Meanwhile, Manfred says that MLB many ideas but no plan with this being one such idea.
Line in the Sand
Amidst reports last week that MLB owners could ask the players to take a pay cut if games are played without fans and teams have no revenue from gate receipts, union leader Tony Clark took a hard stance. Clark said there would be no more negotiations related to player pay.
He says that the players already agreed to a pro-rated salary based on the number of games played among other compromises, adding “That negotiation is over.” Such a stance could make it difficult for Clark and Manfred to hammer out an agreement should MLB come up with a plan that makes sense from a public health standpoint.
Step Right Up and Buy the Mets
Even with the 2020 season in jeopardy, Alex Rodriguez and fiancé Jennifer Lopez are reportedly making a push to buy the New York Mets. The couple has reportedly retained the services of JPMorgan Chase to help them raise enough capital necessary to buy the team A-Rod cheered for growing up.
The Mets appeared to have found a buyer late last year in hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, but a $2.6 billion deal fell apart because the two sides couldn’t agree on the details of the transition plan. Despite the celebrity of A-Rod and J-Lo, their combined net worth is an estimated $700 million, so they would need to find additional partners if they expect to buy the Mets.
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