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Still Bumps In The Road To MLB Season

Every professional sports league has a tough road back following the coronavirus. Countless money issues and safety measures need to be resolved before anything can happen.

Baseball is one sport that has thought to be possible during the back end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing can be practiced at a higher rate than basketball or football.

But MLB is facing several issues other than safety. The owners and players have been debating on a deal to start play once again.

There have been productive strides as far as health and safety goes. But the economic issue of a shortened season is proving to be a large issue.

Jeff Passan, ESPN MLB Insider, has weighed in on the recent drama of the season getting started. He believes that if the season does not start, it won’t be directly because of the coronavirus issues but rather the money issues that it creates.

Passan wrote in his article for ESPN, “The ticks of the clock are blaring. The $170 million advance to players runs out Sunday. The time for pretense is over. The baseball season depends on it. Now is the moment — the only moment — to answer the most difficult questions.”

There isn’t currently a deadline when they can decide on a deal. They already feel pressure, and that would even create more. If they are going to agree on a deal, then it will happen without a deadline.

What Are The Arguments About?

As Passan puts it, this is billionaires and millionaires fighting over billions of dollars. These teams are used to bringing in over $10 billion a year in revenue. This year, it will be a fraction of that amount.

Not only is the season going to be shortened, but fans won’t be able to attend games. The players’ salaries are in question.

Players have announced concerns about playing while the threats of the coronavirus still exist. If they aren’t receiving the money that they think they deserve, they might opt not to play the 2020 season.

Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem has said that the league will process as many as 14,500 coronavirus tests per week. That would be three to four tests a week for each player. Some believe that it should be even more than that.

The one lab that is processing tests is in Utah but won’t return results until 24 hours. This has caused teams to look into more social distancing practices.

Some teams are even looking to expand their clubhouses and player facilities to accommodate players.

Young players, especially in the minors, even have more of a case to worry about the outcome.

“I’m a Twins employee being paid 13% of my salary to be 100% ready to play baseball at a moment’s notice,” said 28-year-old Mitch Horacek. “I’m also locked out of MLB/MLBPA negotiations because MLBPA doesn’t represent minor leaguers.”

There’s obviously a lot of issues to sort out. The negotiations are going to continue, but as the world starts to open once again, a time for a deal is here.

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