Quote from BoosterSD on May 15, 2020, 5:04 pm

Quote from fenn68 on May 15, 2020, 9:43 am

Trying to avoid a COVID-19 debate in this forum but as it relates to safety for players, I have to view SD county stats through the middle of this week and the demographics:

194 deaths ... but “only” 2 under the age of 30 (1%) and another 2 between 30 and 40 (1%) ... as I recall underlying conditions were factors. Yes, a much higher rate for getting the virus but either limited symptoms or recovery.

72.2% of SD County deaths were over age 70 and most were in senior living facilities.

IF the health officials open up for sports .... the athletes themselves don’t appear at risk for serious impact.

I believe the testing in MLB was not everyone, and Im sure the results of the test where private, but I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that the "flu" Tatis had in early Spring Training was CV-19.

Im sure the population of people that had really severe flus in the Jan/Feb time frame were probably not flus either. And almost of the healthy people have recovered.

With all that being said, Snell is a greedy, infantile, idiot.

 

Quote from Ben Davey on May 15, 2020, 5:47 pm

I agree Fenn.  I listened to the interview as well, and left optimistic about them meeting that July 1st start to the season.

Majority of players want to play.  And considering they already bargained for virtually no guarenteed money this year so they could get service time, any fraction of their contract would be better than nothing.  Not to mention, while someone like Snell will still be an ace next year, someone like Garrett Richards needed this year to show he still had something left in the tank to get a contract next year. If this year doesnt happen, Richards is probably looking at a small 1 yr deal next year, he, and many others really need this year.

As far as safety, I dont see why they dont do what Korea does.  They take the temp of players (and all staff) before they come into the complex.  If they have an elevated temp they immediately go to a separate room to be tested and get sent home for the day.  If the test comes back good then they can return.  If not it is a 2 week quarantine for the player.  But if you test them BEFORE they come into the complex, anything they might have picked up last night will be caught before it infects the whole team.  They essentially just get put on the 14 day DL.

I dont know what to do with players who don't want to take the chance.  I guess still give them the year of service time with severely reduced pay.  I dont know?

Quote from fenn68 on May 25, 2020, 3:50 pm

Noted from a couple of sources that IF a player was released on a guaranteed contract prior to the shutdown ... he gets 100% if his 2020 salary ... no matter what is negotiated.

That came up relating to the Angels releasing Cozart early but must also apply to Kinsler for the Padres. Some are luckier than others.

Quote from fenn68 on May 27, 2020, 1:36 pm

The Oakland A's are really cutting back on costs.

Apparently they will be the only club to stop paying their minor league players ($400/week) on Jun 1 ... furlough all professional scouts ... and then (after the draft) furlough all amateur scouts. Add that they are refusing to pay the ballpark lease.

Side note that I don't think the minor leaguers are eligible for unemployment and are still bound to their organization (not FA).

If they refuse to pay their lease ... how will that work when they are ready to return?

Will there better scouts bolt to a better organization as soon as they can?

I know MLB has agreed to delay bonus payments over the next three years but if OAK is in this much of a financial bind ... how will they approach the draft? Does all this effect the attitude of some prospects on signing with OAK? Will OAK draft for easy, lower cost signs and underspend its allocation?

How will the "image" of OAK impact the new ballpark plans?

Adding to the classiness of all this the owner (clearly his decision) delegated the announcement letter to his GM.

OAK may be a "small revenue" club but their (and almost all) ML clubs increase in asset value at least 10% per year so maybe cash short but not at risk of going bankrupt with the shutdown. Per Forbes the Padres have gone from $800MM to $1.5B in the 8 years Fowler (et al) have owned the club. In the big picture, owners are fine.

Back to OAK ... good candidate to sell to new owners and move to a new location since that franchise has been a drag on MLB for years.

Quote from hoffy51 on May 28, 2020, 8:20 am

The players' union's insistence on full salary could cost MLB the season IMHO. Teams are laying off personnel and cutting salaries, while the players refuse to make ANY sacrifices. Their greed may destroy the game as we know it. I remember a line for the move "Field of Dreams," where shoeless Joe Jackson says, "Shoot, I would have played for free." I know it's just a movie, but these players today have lost sight of the joy of just playing a kids game. I also remember when I was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960's that Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale held out for $100,000 each. For these guys today, that's  just lunch money. Where'd you go Joe DiMaggio . . .

Quote from Brian Connelly on May 28, 2020, 9:24 am

Quote from fenn68 on May 25, 2020, 3:50 pm

Noted from a couple of sources that IF a player was released on a guaranteed contract prior to the shutdown ... he gets 100% if his 2020 salary ... no matter what is negotiated.

That came up relating to the Angels releasing Cozart early but must also apply to Kinsler for the Padres. Some are luckier than others.

At least Kinsler still works for the team.... how about Olivera /(Matt Kemp)... gets full amount since not on 40-man.  Guys like Warren & Loup who were bought out are actually better off than guys still on 40-man rosters... SO weird.

Quote from Brian Connelly on May 28, 2020, 9:37 am

Quote from hoffy51 on May 28, 2020, 8:20 am

The players' union's insistence on full salary could cost MLB the season IMHO. Teams are laying off personnel and cutting salaries, while the players refuse to make ANY sacrifices. Their greed may destroy the game as we know it. I remember a line for the move "Field of Dreams," where shoeless Joe Jackson says, "Shoot, I would have played for free." I know it's just a movie, but these players today have lost sight of the joy of just playing a kids game. I also remember when I was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960's that Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale held out for $100,000 each. For these guys today, that's  just lunch money. Where'd you go Joe DiMaggio . . .

Well, if the players are "greedy", what does that make the owners?    The current "sliding scale" proposal similar to tax brackets may seem "fair" to most of us, but to me it looks like a blatant attempt by the owners to drive a wedge between the majority of "non superstars" and the high paid few...  I don't think it's going to work.

What pisses me off about the owners is that they don't come clean & just open up their freaking books.  The players stance that "we already negotiated" is ridiculous too; teams obviously are going to make less money with no fans than in a normal season with them.  BUT why not just PROVE this projected amount by opening up your books & showing it?  What is so "secret" that MLBPA can't have access to it?  They're essentially asking the players to take it on faith (i.e. "telling" vs. "showing") that owners' assumptions & calculations are correct, and they (owners) are not going to come out ahead with the drastic reduction in salaries.  This MAY be true... but it may not.  Why should players sign off on KNOWN massive salary loss (well over half), without any idea of actual financial ramifications to owners?

Owners need to way more conclusively demonstrate to players that they are sharing "equally" in the financial pain this year.

 

 

Quote from hoffy51 on May 28, 2020, 10:02 am

They don't open their books because the players association would not believe them anyway. They'd say the books are cooked. As a business man, if you only take in half your income, would paying out half your employee salaries seem to you to be greedy . . . or prudent?

Believe me, if the players hold out for their full salary and the season is canceled. They players and the players association will be the villains. Not the owners.

Quote from fenn68 on May 28, 2020, 2:03 pm

I really doesn't make a difference whether we are debating any management - union negotiation ... auto industry, dock workers, teachers, et. al. the first management offer is almost always received as an "insult" to the membership and is summarily rejected. Pause. Union proposes a counter offer that management says in unrealistic in this economic environment and the health of the company. Pause. With both offers on the table and light years apart, only then some semblance of negotiation begins.

Both sides understand this negotiation game ... and both play it.

Hold on the issue of the players taking more of a cut (they will but not on the initial owner unilateral terms) ... it is negotiation.

Owners apparently did NOT include any revenue sharing of the new playoff games / format with the players ... that makes no sense except as a negotiation tool where they can "give that up" and try to spin that as being the good guys.

More irritating to the Union is the owners' plan to a pay reduction being not just a percentage but being specific to the pay of each player on a sliding scale. That is overstepping and is a pretty blatant attempt to cause dissent among the union members ... weaken the union. It is the union members themselves who decide how a salary cut should be allocated (should make zero difference to the owners or the fans).

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Keep in mind that the owners and union are not just focused on this season but are trying to get advantages ahead of the new CBA negotiation after 2021. Making that even more complex ... the national TV deal is also up after 2021.  BIG money is at stake.

The strength of the Union is critical for the division of money in negotiation after 2021 which will have impact for the next 5 years (at least).