As MLB labour negotiations get underway, players have started chiming in on what’s expected to be a lengthy back-and-forth.
Including Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher and MLBPA executive subcommittee member Chris Bassitt, who didn’t mince words.
“I thought (the MLB owners) offer was going to be a lot better than what it was,” the 10-year veteran said Friday during an appearance on the JD Bunkis Podcast. “I thought they were going to try to really persuade, at least a portion of our player group, to want this idea (of a salary cap).
“The truth of it and the reality of our situation right now is that there are deficiencies in the system, and I think the very first proposal, I truly think you can take them and throw them in the trash.”
Bassitt went on to clarify that “I don’t ever think you’re going to get a real close proposal the very first time, but also added that “I just don’t like that, because why are we starting so far apart already?”
His comments come on the heels of MLB ownership’s proposal of a salary cap on Thursday. A system the union previously vowed never to accept, hence why baseball owners hadn’t proposed a firm cap since 1994 — a decision that prompted a near eight-month strike that forced the cancellation of the World Series.
MLB’s proposal would cap spending in 2027 at $245.3 million, using luxury tax payroll figures that include $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool. It would also establish a payroll floor of $171.2 million, forcing some teams to spend more. The Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball’s biggest spenders, had a $415.2 million payroll on opening day this year — around $170 million over the proposed cap.
“The cap is pretty much a nonstarter,” Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds said.
Bassitt previously issued a statement through the MLBPA on the matter, while backing the initial offer made from the players’ side.
“Attendance, viewership, interest — by any measure you want to use, our game is moving in a positive direction,” Bassitt said. “We’ve put forward proposals designed to continue that trend. Support, incentivize, and reward clubs who are committed to competing, especially small-market clubs. Compensate players fairly for the work they are doing.”
A day before MLB ownership made its salary cap proposal, the players’ union outlined its initial economic proposals during a bargaining session at the players’ association office in Manhattan. It included what it called a “competitive integrity tax” that would penalize teams dropping below a payroll floor and called for the luxury tax threshold to rise to $300 million next year.
Despite what appears to be a large gap between the two sides, Bassitt made it clear that “baseball, I feel like, is in a really great spot.”
“Yes there are deficiencies in the system, yes we need to fix some things, but let’s work together to fix these things, rather than asking for Pluto and we’re on the opposite side of the spectrum, it just doesn’t make sense to me at all … I’d rather try to work hard together and try to figure out truly how to make a system that’s best for all 30 teams, and yet not absolutely ask the players to just get whacked for the issues that are owner issues, not so much player issues.”
Bassitt’s comments on Friday are consistent with his previous messaging, having said, “We need 30 owners that are trying to win.”
MLB’s labour contract expires on Dec. 1, and there is speculation that a lockout could be on the horizon given the disparity between the players’ union and ownership at this point.
“I don’t think the owners are wrong, I don’t think (players) are wrong in the aspect that we need change,” Bassitt added. “We don’t need to be stagnant and sit here and say ‘the game is in a great spot … just run it back because everything is perfect,’ there are things that are not perfect and we understand that. But again, the issues we have within the game today have literally nothing to do with player pay. That’s the issue that I have.”
— With files from the Associated Press