Baltimore Orioles: MLB Owners Propose a Ridiculously Short Season

All of this back-and-forth between the MLB players and the owners is making it tough for Baltimore Orioles fans to keep it the season-reopening information straight.

It’s crazy to think that the Baltimore Orioles might not play in 2020, even though the team across the street, the Ravens are already scheduled to do so.

After the player suggested a long season with 114 games, the owners offered a counter proposal. It’s not great. In fact, it’s ridiculously short.

According to ESPN, the counteroffer from the owners included a season with 40 to 50 games, but with prorated salaries. The idea is that playing fewer games will actually cost the owners less money, as the stadiums will all be empty.

Players’ salaries are based on 162 games, and a bunch of other things. Playing between 40-50 games would give them about 25% of their salaries, on a prorated basis. There are pros and cons to having a short season.

One of the pros is that the pitchers would have less of a chance of injuring themselves. If the teams play in 50 games, a five-man rotation would have ten games each. This would benefit the teams that might make it to the postseason – if there is one.

A con is that many batters don’t heat up until later. Yes, some hitters are raring to go out of the gate, but not all. Most of all, it gives fans fewer games to watch.

The biggest question for players and owners is to ask whether a short season is worth their time. What if they are injured? What if someone gets sick? It is safe to say that these questions are being addressed.

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What is troubling about all of this is the insinuation made by the Dave Sheinin with The Washington Post. While covering this issue, he suggested that the short-season idea seems to be a gentle reminder to the players that Commissioner Rob Manfred is actually in charge. Sheinin wrote that the March agreement to shut down baseball due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

“[G]ave Commissioner Rob Manfred wide powers to determine the length of the 2020 season absent further agreement with the union.”

The 114-game suggestion from the players asked the owners what they valued, and showed that the players want to play. The counteroffer of 40 to 50 games shows that the owners don’t really care that the players want to play. It shows the owners value the money, as this offer gives them the least amount of possible loss.

Summer officially begins in less that three weeks, and the warmth only lasts for so long. Players and owners need to come to an agreement. The outcome will reverberate through baseball for a long time. Will the decision come down to Manfred strong-arming the players, or will the two sides be able to work it out like rational people? The answer should come soon.