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Blue Jays Shut Down Spring Facility

By Steve Adams | June 19, 2020 at 1:19pm CDT

The Blue Jays have shut down their Spring Training facility in Dunedin, Fla. after a player displayed symptoms of COVID-19, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports (Twitter thread). There’s no positive test yet, but Passan notes that the player in question is on Toronto’s 40-man roster and had recently spent time with players in the Phillies’ system. The Jays’ Dunedin complex is just six miles from the Phillies’ spring facility in Clearwater, where eight people — five players and three staffers — have tested positive for the coronavirus over the past three days. Another 32 tests of Phillies players and personnel are still pending results.

Scott Mitchell of TSN tweets that about 20 players have been working out at the Jays’ spring facility, including about 10 players who are on the 40-man roster. Passan adds, however, that multiple players have yet to even be tested at all — despite GM Ross Atkins telling him the team has been “overly precautious with testing.” Should reopening the Dunedin facilities untenable, that’d create problems for the Jays even if a 2020 season can come together. As Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith points out, Dunedin has been a fallback option in the event that government regulations prevent the Jays from hosting games at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays’ Dunedin closure adds to a growing list of concerns as professional sports teams have sought to begin play after months of shutdowns. Beyond the positive tests in Clearwater and the symptoms in Dunedin, it’s also important to note that the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have shut down their facilities after three players and a pair of staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The NFL’s 49ers also had a player test positive in Nashville, Tenn. earlier today, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. A member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ coaching staff has also tested positive.

Taken together, it’s all a sobering reminder that the largest roadblock to return to regular-season play in any sport is not (and has not been) finances or length of season but the ongoing pandemic. Even if the players in question make full recoveries — which obviously is not a given — they still have families to consider, more at-risk members of the coaching and training staffs surrounding them, umpires, team personnel, etc. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported this morning that positive infections have already spread to multiple members of the infected members of the Phillies organization. Similar instances of spreading are likely to occur — particularly with positive cases on the rise not only in Florida but also in Arizona, Texas and California, among other states.

Five Phillies Players, Three Staff Members Test Positive For Coronavirus

By Steve Adams | June 19, 2020 at 12:03pm CDT

12:03pm: Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the outbreak has spread to multiple family members of the five players and three staffers.

11:35am: The Phillies issued the following statement:

In response to published reports and the questions that those reports have raised, the Phillies are confirming that 5 players and 3 staff members working at the club’s Clearwater facility have tested positive for Covid-19. The first confirmed case occurred this past Tuesday, June 16. In addition, 8 staff members have tested negative for the virus, while 12 staff members and 20 players (both major league and minor league players) living in the Clearwater area are in the process of being tested and are awaiting the results of those tests. … In terms of the implications of this outbreak on the Phillies’ 2020 season, the club declines comment, believing that it is too early to know.

Owner John Middleton added in a personal statement that the team is “committed to the health and welfare of our players, coaches and staff as our highest priority” and, as a result, the team’s spring complex in Clearwater has been closed indefinitely.

11:00am: Five players and three staffers at the Phillies’ Spring Training complex in Clearwater, Fla., have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports reports. None of the cases have required hospitalization to this point, although the rapid manner in which the outbreak spread through camp even without a full roster and staff present, certainly illustrates the risks and complications that could arise even if MLB and the Players Association are actually able to hammer out an agreement. Notably, Salisbury adds that a “significant number of team personnel” are still waiting on results, so further positive tests are possible.

Phillies players have been working out at Clearwater’s Spectrum Field for several weeks, but Salisbury writes that despite limited group sizes and strict safety precautions, the virus quickly spread through Phillies camp.

It’s obviously good news that none of the positive tests have required hospitalization, but the sheer volume of positive cases is still an ominous sign. An outbreak like this during the regular season would require quarantine for a substantial portion of the affected active roster, and most teams would have at least a couple of older members of the coaching staff in proximity to the outbreak. The potential for spreading the virus to the opposing team at a time when multiple members of the roster are perhaps playing asymptomatically also can’t be overlooked.

The outbreak at Phillies camp comes at a time when the broad focus has been on the exhausting series of strategic leaks and vaguely worded statements from MLB and the MLBPA as ownership and players butt heads over the length of the season. So much emphasis has been placed on the financial battle that the yet-to-be-agreed-upon health/safety protocols and the very real potential for COVID-19 outbreaks in close-quarters clubhouse settings have, to some extent, faded from the discussion in recent days.

The latest report out of Florida abruptly thrusts that portion of the debate back to the forefront. And with cases on the rise in key states like Florida, Arizona, Texas and California, the potential for similar instances is prevalent. It was never realistic to expect that there would be no positive tests or even team-wide outbreaks. The goal was to limit such occurrences and prevent mass-scale infections. Still, it’s discouraging that a limited group which represents a fraction of the group that would be gathering for a full-season schedule has produced a rather substantial number of cases. If nothing else, the Phillies’ Clearwater outbreak seems likely to cause all parties to revisit even the elements of the health and safety protocols on which they’ve generally agreed, so as to ensure they are sufficient for both sides.

MLBPA Makes 70-Game Counter-Proposal To MLB

By Steve Adams | June 18, 2020 at 2:10pm CDT

2:10pm: The MLBPA has issued the following statement:

We delivered to Major League Baseball today a counterproposal based on a 70-game season, which among a number of issues, includes expanded playoffs for both 2020 and 2021. We believe this offer represents the basis for an agreement on resumption of play.

Notably, Clark looks to be throwing Manfred’s exact wording — “the basis for an agreement” — back at the league. The subtext, of course, is that the 60-game framework was viewed no more an agreement by the union than this 70-game proposal will be viewed as such by ownership.

1:35pm: The union’s proposal would see the regular season run July 19 through Sept. 30, Passan tweets. It also includes $50MM in playoff revenue, a share of postseason TV revenue in 2021, the aforementioned forgiveness of the salary advance for the league’s lower-compensated players, a universal DH (presumably in 2020-21) and both sides waiving the right to a grievance.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the union also proposed a neutral site framework for the postseason, if needed. They also agreed to advertising patches on uniforms over the next two seasons.

1:20pm: SNY’s Andy Martino reports that there’s frustration among some owners that they’re receiving a counter to what they didn’t believe was a proposal (Twitter thread). Ownership believed a deal/framework was in place at 60 games earlier in the week. Martino adds that Manfred had to “really twist” the arm of some owners to get to that 60-game mark, so it seems a straightforward “meet in the middle,” 65-game concept isn’t popular among ownership.

The MLBPA, however, saw the 60-game prorated framework as a proposal — not an agreement. Of note, even commissioner Rob Manfred himself said this week that his meeting with union chief Tony Clark produced a “a jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement.” That quote in and of itself falls short of indicating that an agreement was firmly reached.

1:00pm: The Major League Baseball Players Association has finalized yet another counter-proposal for the league, according to Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com (Twitter thread). The union’s latest proposal is for 70 games and includes a “split of playoff revenues,” per Passan and Rogers. The league will likely make another counter before any terms are agreed upon.

Earlier this week, ownership proposed a 60-game season with prorated salaries, while the MLBPA reportedly continued to hold out hope for a longer season. The MLBPA’s last formal proposal to the league called for 89 games, so this latest proposal marks a notable drop from that point. Other factors have begun to surface in the back-and-forth, such as a universal DH in 2020 and 2021, expanded 16-team playoffs in each of the next two seasons, a joint fund for social justice initiatives and the partial forgiveness of the $170MM advance that was already paid out to players as a compromise to receive service time in the event of a canceled season.

It seems as though talks are reaching their apex, although that sense has existed at various points in the past. We’re already well past the June 10 target date for a relaunched training camp, and the once-hoped-for July 4 start date is clearly out of the question at this juncture. But the two sides still remain hopeful that a mid-July start date can be realized, with expanded postseason play running through late October. A middle ground in the mid-60s seems like it should be plausible at this point, although it’s best to temper any expectations for straightforward compromise between these two parties at this point.

As ESPN’s Buster Olney observes on Twitter, though, the difference between a 60-game and 70-game season checks in at roughly $245-250MM in total revenue — or $8.33MM per team. When we’ve reached the point where the gap between the two sides is comparable to what multiple individual free agents were promised this winter (think Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon or, on a larger scale, Gerrit Cole) — it seems things should be able to come together quickly. Still, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that there’s little indication a resolution will be reached “quickly.” Still, it’s nearly unfathomable to think that the two sides could be as few as 10 games apart in their proposals and not eventually strike some kind of agreement.

League & Union Reportedly Making Progress On Deal For 2020 Season

By Jeff Todd | June 17, 2020 at 10:09pm CDT

10:09pm: The players would have $33MM of the $170MM advance they received from their March agreement with the owners forgiven, per Heyman. Teams, meanwhile, would be able to sell advertisements on uniforms in 2020 and ’21 in order to increase their revenues, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

6:16pm: The proposal adds the designated hitter position to the NL in 2020 and ’21, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

2:14pm: The postseason would expand to sixteen teams, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).

With multiple reporters floating the concept, it sounds as if the expectation is for the union to press for some modest increase in the number of games beyond the sixty proposed. The MLBPA has made clear it hasn’t yet agreed to anything.

2:07pm: The proposal is indeed for sixty games with full pro rata pay, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. The season would begin on July 19th.

2:00pm: The proposal is for at least sixty games, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette tweets.

1:34pm: MLB has sent the union a new formal proposal, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic (via Twitter). At the moment, the sides haven’t yet reached an agreement in principle, let alone a full and binding accord. But it certainly seems as if there’s momentum towards a common goal of getting back to work.

Per Heyman (Twitter link), several major pillars of the potential agreement are moving in place, at least conceptually: The players will receive pro-rated pay, the league will get an expanded postseason, and players will waive any potential grievance to seek additional compensation.

1:25pm: In a major potential breakthrough, in-person league and union negotiations appear to be bearing fruit. The sides are “closing in” on a deal to resume play in 2020, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).

If you’ve followed even some of the long-running saga over the pandemic-interrupted season, this comes as quite welcome news. While the vitriol had ramped up in recent weeks, it seems the sides pulled back from the brink of a potentially disastrous season cancellation.

You’ll be forgiven for wondering whether all the posturing truly should’ve been necessary, particularly given that it occurred against a backdrop of much more important events. But there’s still time for MLB and the MLB Players Association to put much of the pain in the background if they can come together and stage a compelling 2020 campaign.

Just over three months have passed since Spring Training went on ice as COVID-19 swept into the United States. The sides reached agreement not long thereafter on a preliminary agreement to resume play. But they were soon arguing over whether that deal’s pay provisions — pro rata, game for game salary for players — applied even if teams were not able to collect a gate.

Manfred: “Jointly Developed Framework” On 2020 Season Agreement

By Jeff Todd | June 17, 2020 at 2:47pm CDT

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has issued a statement regarding recent developments in negotiations between the league and player’s union. He says that he and union chief Tony Clark worked out “a jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement.”

Manfred’s tone is certainly a bit different from that of the MLBPA, which recently issued a short statement making clear there’s no deal yet. That could represent an indication that the league wishes to seize some positive momentum while the players prefer to avoid a perception of a fait accompli. Or, perhaps, both sides will henceforth take a more optimistic tone and begin working in earnest towards a resumption of play.

It’s all still reading tea leaves at this point, though it surely sounds as if real progress has been made. If nothing else, it would be an even greater embarrassment for all involved if negotiations ultimately break down.

Manfred says he summarized his broad agreement with Clark and sent it in writing to the players’ side today. There’s no indication that the sides see eye to eye on all the key details, but it appears the players will get pro rata pay for the regular season while the owners will get an expanded, 16-team postseason.

MLBPA Denies “Reports Of An Agreement”

By Jeff Todd | June 17, 2020 at 2:06pm CDT

There may well be a breakthrough, but the Major League Baseball Players Association left no doubt that there isn’t yet a deal on a 2020 season. The MLBPA’s official Twitter account just issued a rather terse statement: “Reports of an agreement are false.”

It’s understandable that the union doesn’t wish to allow a perception of a done deal when it just received a proposal for Major League Baseball. No doubt there are quite a few important aspects of the negotiations still to be handled.

At the same time, it’s important to bear in mind that there really hasn’t been a clear report indicating that the sides do have a deal — even in spirit.

Manfred, Clark Held “Productive” In-Person Meeting

By Jeff Todd | June 17, 2020 at 12:36pm CDT

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and union chief Tony Clark have held an in-person meeting in an effort to break a long-running stalemate on the resumption of the 2020 season, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). The substance of the talks isn’t yet known, but it was said to be a “productive” undertaking.

Manfred had indicated previously that the sides had not even engaged in real-time negotiations since June 7th. This unquestionably represents a big step up in communication, at a minimum. The pair’s in-person meetings began last night and continued today, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).

Rob Manfred No Longer Confident 2020 Season Will Occur

By Connor Byrne | June 15, 2020 at 5:45pm CDT

5:45pm: Clark has issued a statement in response to Manfred’s remarks: “Players are disgusted that after Rob Manfred unequivocally told Players and fans that there would “100%” be a 2020 season, he has decided to go back on his word and is now threatening to cancel the entire season. Any implication that the Players Association has somehow delayed progress on health and safety protocols is completely false, as Rob has recently acknowledged the parties are “very, very close.” This latest threat is just one more indication that Major League Baseball has been negotiating in bad faith since the beginning. This has always been about extracting additional pay cuts from Players and this is just another day and another bad faith tactic in their ongoing campaign.”

3:58pm: As of last week, commissioner Rob Manfred was fully confident there would be a 2020 Major League Baseball Season. That’s no longer the case, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Manfred told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on Monday that he’s “not confident” a season will occur because of the lack of dialogue between the league and the union.

This is a quick about-face from Manfred, who declared June 10, “We’re going to play baseball in 2020 — 100 percent.” Since then, though, the union rejected the league’s latest proposal, which was not a surprise after MLB once again fell well short of promising the players the 100 percent prorated salaries they have been banking on receiving. Owners have since turned their attention to the best way to play a season while keeping everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, but if we’re to take Manfred’s sudden pessimism at face value, it may be a moot point.

In defending the owners, Manfred told Greenberg: “The owners are a hundred percent committed to getting baseball back on the field. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’m a hundred percent certain that’s gonna happen.”

The union side, for its part, expressed a desire to play this past weekend. “Tell us when and where,” executive director Tony Clark said.

However, the league sent the union a letter Monday saying there won’t be a season unless the players waive any legal claims against MLB stemming from the sides’ March agreement, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Additionally, Manfred went after the union for the letter it sent to the league Friday.

“Unfortunately, over the weekend, while Tony Clark was declaring his desire to get back to work, the union’s top lawyer was out telling reporters, players and eventually getting back to owners that as soon as we issued a schedule – as they requested – they intended to file a grievance claiming they were entitled to an additional billion dollars,” Manfred said. “Obviously, that sort of bad-faith tactic makes it extremely difficult to move forward in these circumstances.”

As part of the agreement that the league and the union made back, Manfred has the ability to implement as long of a season as he wants (maybe one as few as 40-some games). However, the union could file a grievance against the league for acting in bad faith and not making a legitimate effort to play as many games as possible. Furthermore, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post relays, Manfred could simply opt against starting a season because of a few conditions baked into the two sides’ agreement. As Sherman writes, “1. There are no governmental restrictions on spectators attending games. 2. There are no relevant travel restrictions in the United States and Canada. 3. That after consultation with recognized medical experts and the union that there are no unreasonable risks to players, staff and spectators to stage games in the 30 home parks.”

Therefore, thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Manfred doesn’t have to force any kind of season. However, Manfred did admit to ESPN that it would be “a disaster for our game” for no 2020 campaign to take place.

MLBPA Rejects Latest League Proposal For 2020 Season; No Counter-Proposal Planned

By Mark Polishuk | June 13, 2020 at 10:46pm CDT

10:46PM: Correcting an earlier report, USA Today Bob Nightengale tweets that there won’t be any counter-offer from the league to the players.

9:12PM: Major League Baseball has also released a statement in regards to today’s news…

We are disappointed that the MLBPA has chosen not to negotiate in good faith over resumption of play after MLB has made three successive proposals that would provide players, Clubs and our fans with an amicable resolution to a very difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The MLBPA understands that the agreement reached on March 26^th was premised on the parties’ mutual understanding that the players would be paid their full salaries only if play resumed in front of fans, and that another negotiation was to take place if Clubs could not generate the billions of dollars of ticket revenue required to pay players. The MLBPA’s position that players are entitled to virtually all the revenue from a 2020 season played without fans is not fair to the thousands of other baseball employees that Clubs and our office are supporting financially during this very difficult 2020 season. We will evaluate the Union’s refusal to adhere to the terms of the March Agreement, and after consulting with ownership, determine the best course to bring baseball back to our fans.

6:23PM: As expected, the MLB Players Association has turned down the owners’ latest proposal for the 2020 season, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). No counter offer is coming, as MLBPA executive director Tony Clark indicated in a public statement that players will now turn their attention towards preparing for whatever type of regular season Commissioner Rob Manfred decides to impose.

The rest of Clark’s statement…

Players want to play. It’s who we are and what we do. Since March, the Association has made it clear that our No.1 focus is playing the fullest season possible, as soon as possible, as safely as possible. Players agreed to billions in monetary concessions as a means to that end, and in the face of repeated media leaks and misdirection we made additional proposals to inject new revenues into the industry — proposals that would benefit the owners, players, broadcast partners, and fans alike.

“It’s now become apparent that these efforts have fallen upon deaf ears. In recent days, owners have decried the supposed unprofitability of owning a baseball team and the Commissioner has repeatedly threatened to schedule a dramatically shortened season unless players agree to hundreds of millions in further concessions. Our response has been consistent that such concessions are unwarranted, would be fundamentally unfair to players, and that our sport deserves the fullest 2020 season possible. These remain our positions today, particularly in light of new reports regarding MLB’s national television rights — information we requested from the league weeks ago but were never provided.

As a result, it unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile. It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.

As definitive as Clark’s statement is, more last-second negotiations between the two sides can’t be entirely ruled out. (After all, the owners allegedly weren’t planning to make any further counters after an earlier offer in June, though the two sides continued to swap proposals after that so-called final offer.) Barring an eleventh-hour breakthrough, however, it appears as though there won’t be any agreement to begin the 2020 season under conditions that both the union and the league could at least tolerate, if not fully embrace. As such, Manfred can now make a unilateral decision about the length of the 2020 regular season, as was decided back in March in the initial agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA about how to proceed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league’s most recent proposal offered the players a 72-game regular season and 70 percent of their prorated salaries, with the prorated salary number jumping to 83 percent if the postseason was completed in its entirety. While the offer contained several other details, it’s clear that the issue of prorated salary was the main sticking point, as the MLBPA has steadfastly maintained that they were owed their full share of prorated salaries, as per their interpretation of the now infamously vague March agreement. Owners, by contrast, have insisted that paying these full prorated salaries would create too much of a financial burden (over $4 billion in losses, by the league’s calculations) given that these games are expected to be played without any fans in attendance.

To say these negotiations haven’t gone smoothly is an understatement. There has been quite the public war of words between players, owners, and league and union officials in the last several weeks, ranging from social media barbs to controversial interviews to increasingly pointed communiques between the two sides. None of this back-and-forth has seemingly brought the league and players any closer to a deal, and has largely served only as a PR battle that has brought a ton of public criticism directed at both parties.

As per earlier offers from the league, Manfred could wind up imposing a regular season of roughly 50 games — reportedly all the owners can financially manage given the MLBPA’s insistence on full prorated salaries. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link), the union wants to see the league’s plans for beginning the season by Monday, as per a letter from union negotiator Bruce Meyer to deputy commissioner Dan Halem.

Should the league’s plans indeed come so quickly, we could be on track for baseball’s return by roughly mid-July, factoring in time for players to ramp up their preparation in a “Spring Training 2.0” camp before beginning what will surely be the strangest season in baseball’s long history. Even beyond such details as the formats of the regular season and postseason, roster construction, transactions, etc., there is also the looming spectre of COVID-19, and how the league will implement health and safety procedures to best protect players, coaches, staff, and other involved parties.

MLB, Turner Sports Reach Billion-Dollar Deal To Broadcast LCS

By George Miller | June 13, 2020 at 5:17pm CDT

5:17PM: The new broadcast contract covers the 2022-2028 seasons, with Turner Sports paying roughly $470MM per season, as per John Ourand and Eric Prisbell of Sports Business Daily. In addition to the one LCS, Turner will also have the rights to two Division Series and one wild card game per year. This is notable given that expanded playoffs have been a prominent part of negotiations between players and owners for the 2020 and possibly the 2021 season as well. “The expectation is that this deal does not include rights to any additional playoff games, which would have to be negotiated separately,” Ourand and Prisbell write.

4:23PM: MLB has reached an agreement on a billion-dollar deal with Turner Sports that will allow the network to continue broadcasting a postseason package that includes one League Championship Series, reports Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Though the length and precise terms of the deal remain unknown, it’s expected to be a considerable increase over the $350MM Turner had been paying annually under their current agreement.

The two sides have agreed to a deal in principle, but it is not finalized and has not yet been voted on for approval by the owners.

The network’s current deal expires following the 2021 season, so it will remain in place for this season with the new deal’s term beginning a few years from now.

While the deal itself is no doubt notable for the sport, its announcement comes at an awkward time for the league, given the state of negotiations between the owners and the players. And although the consummation of a new contract won’t have any real ramifications on this season in particular (it won’t kick in until 2022), the sheer value of the TV revenue on tap may cast doubt on MLB’s stance that it would be unable to shoulder revenue losses with no fans in the stands this year—especially in light of Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt’s claims that baseball “isn’t very profitable.”

In negotiations between the players’ association and MLB, owners have been insistent on offering players less than their full prorated salaries, a concession that the players have thus far been unwilling to accept. Needless to say, this development doesn’t strengthen the league’s posture. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that the parties can come to an agreement that puts 2020 baseball back on the menu.

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