So much for that little ray of hope. Jon Heyman’s story on MLB lockout progress was slammed shut by Yankees reliever Zack Britton.
Britton, to be fair, would know.
In terms of the MLB lockout, the players appear to be significantly more pessimistic than the owners. According to accounts, the players made major concessions on Saturday, even submitting a whole new proposal that addressed many of the owners’ concerns.
The proprietors retaliated by tossing it in the trash can.
Opening Day will be postponed if a new CBA is not reached by Monday. That much is certain, according to the owners’ and Rob Manfred’s self-imposed deadline. The owners, on the other hand, don’t appear to mind waiting.
“Contrary to all the negativity/upset surrounding the MLB/players talks, one individual involved indicated he feels the sides are now “within striking distance” and a deal may be done by tomorrow night,” Jon Heyman said. The luxury tax is still a thorny topic, but a 225/230M level should suffice.”
Britton answered in this manner.
Hope, I bid you farewell.
Who is to blame for the lack of progress during the MLB lockout?
Manfred and the owners chose to lock out the players in the first place, so it’s safe to believe we’re in this situation because of them.
Owners kept the players locked out and only came to the negotiation table after being brought there under duress. Manfred answered with a caustic “the phone works both ways” remark, which irritated players who hadn’t intended to opt-out of the previous CBA in the first place, at least not yet.
Manfred himself didn’t come up until Friday for this crucial round of talks. It was long overdue, but I suppose we can’t blame the MLB commissioner, who appears to be more interested in stuffing the coffers of himself and his affluent buddies than in the game itself.
This isn’t only a fight between millionaires and billionaires. Nearly 70% of players earn less than $1 million per year. The majority, if not all, of the owners, are extremely affluent, have reaped the majority of the revenues from a game they do not play, and still have found a way to be dissatisfied with the deal.
The fans are the ones who bear the brunt of the punishment.