On Monday, reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper joked about playing in Japan as the players’ union and Major League Baseball negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement.
Well, who’s laughing now? Because the idea of MLB players not having anywhere to play this spring just became more likely, as the league’s lockout continued and commissioner Rob Manfred announced the cancellation of the first two series of the regular season.
Some MLB players took to social media Tuesday to share their displeasure.
“Manfred gotta go,” Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman tweeted after Manfred’s announcement.
Giants pitcher Alex Wood posted multiple tweets with his opinions on how the league was posturing itself to look better in the public eye through its negotiation tactics.
“MLB has pumped to the media last night & today that there’s momentum toward a deal. Now saying the players tone has changed,” Wood tweeted. So if a deal isn’t done today it’s our fault. This isn’t a coincidence. We’ve had the same tone all along. We just want a fair deal/to play ball.
“The last 24 [hours] I’d say there was cautious optimism on the players side because the owners were actually at the table negotiating with us toward a deal,” Wood continued. “What we’re asking is more than fair. If there’s no deal the optimism from MLB was a PR illusion to make it look like they tried.”
Video and photos of Manfred laughing during his press conference Tuesday evening went viral on social media, with fans criticizing the commissioner for taking an unserious tone regarding the lockout. According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, one MLB player wasn’t happy about Manfred’s laughing either.
Here’s Rob Manfred LAUGHING his ass off while announcing the owners’ pre-planned unilateral decision to cancel the start of the 2022 season during a pandemic and war in Europe. pic.twitter.com/D0W7mBWYYg
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) March 1, 2022
“Are you talking about the guy who cut 42 minor-league teams and called the World Series trophy a hunk of metal?” the anonymous player said, according to Murray.
The labor dispute is the MLB’s first in 27 years to result in canceled games. Manfred’s decisions came after more than 16 hours of negotiations on Monday. The league submitted its “best and final offer” to the players on Tuesday afternoon, and the union unanimously rejected it. The union said it was “not surprised” no deal was made.
“Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners have canceled the start of the season. Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised,” MLBPA said in a statement.
Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association: pic.twitter.com/rmpciPsQm4
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) March 1, 2022
The question for baseball fans now is: How long will the lockout last?
The league could hope to wait out the players, forcing the union to give more at the negotiating table. The players could lose $20.5 million in salary for each day of the regular season that is canceled, according to a study by The Associated Press. The league’s highest-paid players would lose more than $100,000 per day, with former Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, a member of the union’s executive subcommittee, facing a $232,975 loss each canceled day.
But MLBPA leader Andrew Miller, currently a free agent reliever, said the players are ready for a lengthy lockout.
“We’re prepared,” Miller said. “We’ve seen this coming in a sense. It’s unfortunate. This is not new to us. It’s not shocking.”
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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