Marlins player rep Rojas calls out MLB commissioner’s ‘tactic ... to buy some more time’
Miami Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas is known for his defensive prowess and leadership on the field and in the clubhouse.
On Monday night, he went on the offensive, referencing a hit Netflix show to call out Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred on Twitter for using what MLB players are calling a stall tactic to get players to agree to the league’s demands for a shortened 2020 season.
“If I hadn’t seen Money Heist before I would say this is the first time I’m seeing something like this,” Rojas, the Marlins’ player rep, wrote. “But like ‘El Profesor’ would say, This is just a tactic to do What ? ....... To buy some more time.”
Manfred, in a taped interview that aired Monday as part of ESPN’s two-hour “The Return of Sports” special, said he is “not confident” that there will be a baseball season in 2020. This comes just five days after he publicly guaranteed a season.
The league and the MLB Players Association have been at an impasse since official offers started going on the table last month. The players want to play as many games as possible for full prorated salaries, which they agreed to in a March 26 deal with the league.
League owners wants to limit the number of games and keep the postseason in October because of network contracts and a fear of a second wave of the coronavirus (and the desire to keep their revenue losses to a minimum). The league also contends that the March agreement calls for re-negotiation of salaries if games are to be played without fans.
In addition to economic agreements — including player salaries and length of season, the latter of which is guaranteed to get shorter with each passing day — the two sides still need to finalize specifics on health and safety protocols as they continue to navigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which initially put the sport on hold March 12.
Manfred said owners remain committed to playing a season but “unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’m a hundred percent certain that’s gonna happen.”
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark on Monday responded to Manfred’s comments with the following statement:
“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.”
‘The clock is ticking’
Manfred said the last time he and Clark talked outside of written communication was June 7.
The last piece of movement came Saturday, when players rejected the league’s offer of 72 games with players making up to 83 percent of their pro-rated salaries (only 70 percent if the postseason wasn’t played).
Clark released a statement saying the players shouldn’t have to make additional concessions to the ones they already made back in March and that “it unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile.”
The league followed shortly after with a statement of its own that said the league is “disappointed that the MLBPA has chosen not to negotiate in good faith over resumption of play.”
“We are running out of time. The clock is ticking on this,” Manfred said, “but the key, the important first step is a willingness on the part of the MLBPA to get back at the table and engage in the process.”
‘When and where’
The end of Clark’s Saturday statement, however, has become a rallying cry for the players.
“It’s time to get back to work,” Clark’s statement continues. “Tell us when and where.”
Should the sides not come to an agreement, Manfred has the ability to set the league’s 2020 schedule “using best efforts to play as many games as possible, while taking into account player safety and health, rescheduling needs, competitive considerations, stadium availability, and the economic feasibility of various alternatives,” according to the March 26 deal.
However, if he were to enact that power, the season is anticipated to be in the range of about 50 games. If that were the case, it would be logistically impossible for Manfred to implement it now and justify that the league is trying to play as many games as possible.
Hence, the reason the players are calling Monday’s remark a stall tactic and why the MLBPA is anticipated to file a grievance with the league. The league could and likely would file a counter-grievance saying the union did not bargain in good faith by cutting off its intent to negotiate last weekend.
According to the Los Angeles Times, MLB sent a letter to the MLBPA saying there would be no 2020 season unless the players waived any potential legal claims against the league.
“I think that the best opportunity to make an agreement is always to get into a room, face to face, discuss the issues and try to find a cooperative path forward,” Manfred said.
‘A disaster for our game’
All of this is providing bad optics for the league as well, with their negotiations coming out in the public while the country continues to take an economic hit due to the coronavirus pandemic and deals with social unrest following the death of George Floyd.
“It’s just a disaster for our game, absolutely no question about it,” Manfred said. “It shouldn’t be happening, and it’s important that we find a way to get past it and get the game back on the field for the benefit of our fans.”
But the bigger picture of it remains the same: Baseball remains the only professional sport that is failing to come to terms for their season despite the obstacles.
NASCAR has been racing for a month and on Sunday had 1,000 people in the stands for the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The NBA and Major League Soccer are set to resume their seasons at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando in July. The NHL has allowed teams to reopen training facilities for individual workouts and has a tentative plan to resume playing in two to-be-determined hub cities with an expanded playoff field.
But baseball? The sport of the summer? It still has work to do.
“We’re going to try to open a line of communication with the MLBPA and will be communicating with them in writing about some of the things that need to be done in order to cooperatively get back on the field,” Manfred said. “We’re hopeful that we’ll get a more positive response to that overture.”
More reaction
Rojas was just one of a slew of players to make their voices heard on social media.
Marlins outfielder prospect Monte Harrison’s post was concise: Simply an emoji of a clown.
Elsewhere around MLB...
▪ Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer sent out a lengthy Twitter thread direct at Manfred. The crux of it: “Players told you to set the season, but it’s too early to set the season right now, isn’t it Rob? Because then you’d have to explain why you’re only going to impose 50 games when we could easily play 70+ right now. The tactic is to bluff with ‘no season’ again and delay another 2-3 weeks until you clear the risk of ‘not negotiating in good faith by trying to play as many games as possible”. The public backlash combined with potential of having to explain yourself in front of an arbitrator isn’t too appealing, is it?”
▪ From Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, a member of the MLBPA’s executive committee: “Rob Manfred and the owners are walking back on their word...AGAIN. The fans do not deserve this. So I’ll say it one more time, tell us when and where.”
▪ From Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras: “What a JOKE” with an upside down smiley face emoji.
▪ From Reds pitcher Amir Garrett: “Well could someone make a decision? We all know what they are doing. Just make a decision [sic] already stop wasting time..”
▪ From New York Mets first baseman and reigning NL Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso (a UF alumnus): “Tell us when and where. WE ARE ALL READY.”
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