Carlos Correa has an unpopular solution for MLB players’ pay during pandemic

Carlos Correa seems more open to compromise than other players around MLB.

Houston Astros star Carlos Correa is showing more willingness to get back to work than many of the other big-name players around MLB during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

While Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper are leveraging to avoid pay cuts and keep a full season, Correa seemed more open to compromise with the owners.

“Our contracts are for 162 games. If we play 81 games, then getting paid for half of it sounds right,” Correa told ESPN Radio in an interview on Saturday.

It seems there’s some dissent among MLB players about whether that would qualify as a pay cut. Harper and Bell seemed to oppose compensation on a per-game basis — Bell said he doesn’t want less money, even if there are fewer games. And he definitely doesn’t want an additional pay reduction if there’s a shortened schedule.

“I should not be getting half of what I’m getting paid because the season’s cut in half, on top of a 33 percent cut of the half that’s already there. So I’m really getting like 25 percent,” Bell said during a Twitch stream on May 14.

Correa is clearly concerned about health, too. Though, again, he struck a different tone than Bell.

“Honestly, I just want to get back to play baseball and find the best options to get us back out there,” he said. “I want MLB to make sure we’re going to be take care of, that we’re going to follow the health protocols, that our families and us players are going to be healthy during this process.”

MLB is hoping to resume play in the beginning of July, but the league and the players union have encountered issues in coming to an agreement on how the league should organize health-focused protocols while structuring an adjusted schedule and agreeing to proper payment for players.

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