Report: MLBPA Unhappy with League Restart Proposal, Calls It 'Disrespectful'

Major League Baseball players are reportedly quite unhappy with the league's latest financial proposal in an effort to start the shortened 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, a number of players who were "pretty galvanized" held a call on Wednesday and saw the economic offer as "disappointing" and "disrespectful." Heyman noted some don't even believe it is worth countering, while others view it as "part of [the] process" of collective bargaining.

At first, the league wanted a 50-50 split of any revenue made in 2020, especially since there will likely be no fans present at games.

However, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that was a "non-starter" in the players' eyes after the two sides agreed on prorated salaries in March.

On Tuesday, Heyman reported the league proposed a new offer that removed the idea of a 50-50 revenue split but would pay players a percentage of their prorated salaries on a sliding scale. That meant the highest-paid players in the league would see much more significant cuts in their total salaries.

Passan and Jesse Rogers noted the "players immediately bristled at the proposal," with the MLB Players Association releasing a statement that said, "The proposal involves massive additional pay cuts and the union is extremely disappointed. We're also far apart on health and safety protocols."

The statement underscored just how far away the two sides are on a number of issues since health concerns will surely be a priority during a global pandemic even if they are able to work out a financial deal.

Passan put the overall cuts in perspective:

In April, Forbes reported the average value of each team had increased by 4 percent from last year to $1.85 billion, nearly four times what it was a decade ago. Every team but the Miami Marlins is worth more than $1 billion, with the New York Yankees listed as the most valuable at $5 billion.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants are all worth more than $3 billion, as well.