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MLB News and Notes: Nationals Will Hold Virtual Ring Ceremony

In what we think will be a first of its kind, the Washington Nationals will be receiving their rings in a virtual ceremony. The ceremony will be broadcast on the MLB Network and MASN, a station shared by the Nationals and Baltimore Orioles.

Mark Lerner, the Nationals owner, stated that the team wasn’t sure when fans would be able to participate in the ceremony, so they wanted to do something to commemorate the organization’s achievements. The ceremony will take place on May 24.

The date is significant from last season’s championship season. On May 24, the Nationals were 19-31, and most people were looking for the team to start trading away some assets. Instead, the team went on to one of the great turnarounds in MLB history, eventually leading to a seven-game World Series victory over the Houston Astros.

Angels Will Furlough Some Employees June 1

The Los Angeles Angels announced that some employees would be furloughed starting June 1. The economic impact of the coronavirus has affected the Angels’ financial situation, and to cut payroll, a few employees will be temporarily relieved of their duties.

Like many of the teams in MLB, the Angels announced that they would continue to pay gameday staff until the end of May. The team did announce they will pay health care through the end of the year and contribute $1 million to the employee assistance program.

These cuts will be more than just game day employees, as front office staff, scouts and minor-league instructors will be furloughed. The Tampa Bay Rays have already announced furloughs, and the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins have announced plans of furloughs.

MLB Gives Players Ultimatum

MLB told players that unless they are willing to take another pay cut, they will have to wait until fans return if they want to play. The league sent an outline of how the season would play out without fans in the stands.

The main portion took care of how MLB planned to keep players safe during the season. The main point of contention is going to be money on both sides.

Owners are wanting to switch to a revenue share this season with the losses that are going to come from playing without fans. The MLBPA is wanting to keep its original deal of playing under prorated salaries based on the number of games played.

Owners have said the losses will be too great if they allow play under that model. If the owners don’t budge on this proposal, a 2020 season will not occur. Players don’t trust the owners’ financial projections, and the owners’ books have never been open to the players.

Hopefully, this is just posturing, and the owners will come back with a much more equitable offer. MLB is saying the $640,000 per game will be lost with no fans in the stands, which will add up to close to $4 billion in losses for the owners.

In a time where a lot of Americans are searching for jobs and struggling to put food on the table, the whining from millionaires and billionaires comes as a turnoff to most. Hopefully, both sides can find an agreement that gets players on the field sooner rather than later.

With spring training needing to start in mid-June if they want to start play the first week of July, something needs to get moving. Hopefully, owners realize that going a whole year without their product isn’t good for long term value and get something moving.

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