Major League Baseball owners and players are seemingly headed toward a battle over money as the league attempts to start the 2020 regular season, and two star players have now publicly spoken out against the owners’ proposal for a revenue split that would result in players earning less than their scheduled 2020 salary.
In an attempt to mitigate revenue losses, owners have proposed to the MLBPA that the two sides split all 2020 revenue 50/50, which means players would not be paid a full pro-rated amount of their salary. The MLBPA called the proposal a “salary cap,” and made it clear it has no interest in agreeing.
Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell took a firm stance against the proposal this week. In a Twitch stream, Snell said that he will not play unless he gets all of the money in his contract for 2020.
“No, I’m not splitting no revenue. I want all mine. Bro, y’all got to understand too, because y’all are going to be like ‘bro, Blake, play for the love of the game, man! What’s wrong with you bro? Money should not be a thing!’
Bro, I’m risking my life. What do you mean it should not be a thing? It 100 percent should be a thing.”
Phillies superstar Bryce Harper, who inked a 13-year, $330 million contract last year, voiced his support for Snell on Thursday, though didn’t indicate whether he’d be willing to play this season for a reduced wage.
“He ain’t lying. He’s right. Hey, he’s speaking the truth, bro. I ain’t mad at him. Somebody’s gotta say it. At least he manned up and said it. Good for him.”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith erupted on both players on Friday’s episode of First Take, arguing that it was “dumb” of both Snell and Harper to make such assertions at a time when more than 30 million Americans are unemployed.
“I don’t have any problem with how Snell feels. I don’t have any problem with how Bryce Harper feels. I think it was a dumb thing to say, particularly in this moment in time. ‘I gotta get mine. I gotta get mine.’ I’m sorry, Max Kellerman, I’m not Dr. Fauci, and I’m not trying to be, and I’m not going to get into the minutia of the thijjngs that you say as it pertains to the threats that entail the coronavirus. We all know, we’re living it right now. Gloves, masks, all of that stuff is necessary right now. Safety first, we get all that. I don’t need to regurgitate those kind of comments.
…. I have no problem with the Players Association’s position that ‘wait a minute, we already discussed this. We had already dealt with this. What’s the problem now?’ I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is how [Snell] came across. 33 million-plus people have filed for unemployment. ‘Oh I got to get mine!’ When you were scheduled to make $7 million dollars. It’s just a dumb thing to say. Bryce Harper, you signed a contract for 13 years, over $300 million. ‘I don’t blame him one bit!’ It’s just not smart to say that, that’s what I’m saying…. How smart was it to say that at a time like this? Remember, the owners want them to come back to the negotiating table. Remember there’s a CBA in 2020 to deal with. I mean, what are you doing?! You shut the hell up and let your Players Association speak. You shut the hell up!”
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