MLB News and Notes: Still No Deal For Season

From recent negotiations to resume play to the MLB Draft, there has been plenty of news around Major League Baseball. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from the week.
Another Offer, Another Dead End
Sadly, baseball had such an opportunity during this coronavirus pandemic to return to being America’s game. While sports enthusiasts have been yearning for some normalcy, Major League Baseball and the Players Union have been bickering back and forth.
Failed negotiations continued on Friday as Major League Baseball and its owners once again sent a proposal to the players that was seemingly dead on arrival. The players were given a deadline of Sunday to accept otherwise the offer would need to be revoked, or at least reworked.
In the proposal, MLB is calling for a 72-game season; however, the biggest sticking point, once again, comes down to money. The league is offering just 70 percent of the players’ prorated salaries. That number would go up to 83 percent if, and only if, a postseason is played and finished.
While the percentage has increased a little, it is still seemingly the same deal that the owners have been offering. Some have compared this deal at 70 to 83 percent as the same as full proration for a 50-game season (something that many expect will be the endgame to this with commissioner Rob Manfred dictating that length at full prorated pay).
Once again, the two sides agreed to prorated contracts back in March, an agreement that the players have held on tightly to as the basis of any deal. For owners, they continue to assert that games without fans would leave them losing too much money to be able to afford even a full prorated salary.
Ultimately, it appears that the two sides might not make a deal, and, based on that March agreement, it may be the commissioner who exerts his power to install a 50-game season at full proration.
Even if this happens, though, there could still be further delays. It is believed that the players will look to go to a mediator with a grievance as the March agreement gives Manfred this power but also states that the league will do everything it can to play as many games as possible (something that is highly debatable at this point).
Regardless, these negotiations are getting messy, a bad omen for collective bargaining that is set to take place after the 2021 season. All the while, more and more fans are being pushed away from the game as the fight between millionaires and billionaires becomes intolerable.
Tigers Take Torkelson With Top Pick
While the delay to the season is infuriating, fans were treated to a little bit of baseball talk this week with the MLB Draft. While it was shortened to just five rounds (another way to save owners money), there were still plenty of interesting names taken, ones that franchises hope will be foundational pieces in the near future.
For the Detroit Tigers, many experts have been impressed with their draft, starting with the number one pick overall, Spencer Torkelson, a first baseman out of Arizona State. Despite his position in college, Detroit announced him as a third baseman.
Before the pandemic, Arizona State had played 17 games. In those games, Torkelson accrued 82 at-bats, hitting .340/.598/.780 with six home runs.
While seasons have been long and frustrating for Tigers fans as of late, Torkelson will be just one of many prospects looking to turn around the fortunes of the franchise sooner than later.
While he was taken first overall by the Tigers, the rest of the top 10 picks looked as follows:
- Tigers – Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) – 3B
- Orioles – Heston Kjerstad (Arkansas) – OF
- Marlins – Max Meyer (Minnesota) – RHP
- Royals – Asa Lacy (Texas A&M) – LHP
- Blue Jays – Austin Martin (Vanderbilt) – INF/OF
- Mariners – Emerson Hancock (Georgia) – RHP
- Pirates – Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) – SS
- Padres – Robert Hassell III (High school – Tennessee) – OF
- Rockies – Zac Veen (High school – Florida) – OF
- Angels – Reid Detmers (Louisville) – LHP