Nationals News, Reports & Updates

Communication Breakdown

In March, Major League Baseball and the Player’s Union agreed to players’ salaries being prorated based on the number of games played during this COVID-19 induced truncated season.

However, the owners went back to the table to renegotiate the deal and asked for further reductions in salaries which would essentially become a sliding scale tiered system where the highest-paid players would get the most extensive pay cut, thus lessening the financial loss for the lowest-paid players on the bottom tier.

However, Washington’s Max Scherzer was not happy about the owners getting a second bite at the apple and as a member of the Major League Baseball Players Association eight-man executive subcommittee, issued the following statement via Twitter, "After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players there's no need to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions. We have previously negotiated a pay cut in the version of prorated salaries, and there's no justification to accept a 2^nd pay cut based upon the current information the union has received."

Scherzer’s sentiments were echoed by several of his fellow MLBPA brothers. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brett Anderson stated, “Interesting strategy of making the best most marketable players potentially look like the bad guys.”

New York Mets hurler, Marcus Stroman, was equally dismayed and tweeted, “This season is not looking promising. Keeping the mind and body ready regardless. Time to dive into some life-after-baseball projects. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Brighter times remain ahead!”

As the pandemic has worn on, the prospects of a full 162 regular-season slate have dimmed to the point of total darkness and the proposed 82-game season and postseason without fans in the stands would substantially reduce the owners’ gross revenues. The owners are arguing that the extent and severity of the pandemic on the MLB season were unknown at the time and therefore adjustments needed to be made in order to come to financial grips with this new reality.

When one takes into consideration that a bona fide superstar like the Nats’ Max Scherzer would see his $28.7 million salary reduced to $4.3 million for roughly half the games normally played in this proposal, we can see his point. However, in a world in which average citizens have seen their small businesses decimated or their jobs eliminated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the players will not garner much sympathy from the public at large. Players have countered with a 114-game regular season proposal which would take the World Series past Thanksgiving. The proposed Opening Day would be June 30th with the regular season ending on October 31^st.

Nats’ Players to the Rescue

The defending World Series champs are being offered at +3000 by the oddsmakers to do it all over again and are tied for 10th with the White Sox, Reds, and Angels. And you can get all the latest odds, breaking news, and updates, as well as free MLB picks, over at sportsbookreview.com when, and if, the 2020 season begins.

But as eager as the fans are for the Boys of Summer to return, there is a toll being taken on the minor leaguers throughout baseball and the Nats’ players are determined to take care of their own. It’s a bright light in what has been a season of darkness as the vast majority of the minor league players, whose salaries are minimal, to begin with, will be forced to take pay cuts during the shutdown.

Washington pitcher Sean Doolittle announced that he and his teammates will cover the gap in pay for minor leaguers in the Nationals’ farm systems. Doolittle wrote the following, "After hearing that Nationals minor league players are facing additional pay cuts, the current members of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball club will be coming together and committing funds to make whole the lost wages from their weekly stipends. All of us were minor leaguers at one point in our careers and we know how important the weekly stipends are for them and their families during these uncertain times. Minor leaguers are an essential part of our organization and they are bearing the heaviest burden of this situation as their season is likely to be canceled. We recognize that and want to stand with them and show our support."

The Nationals released more than 30 minor league players and are slated to cut their salaries to $300 per week starting in June.

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