Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez Suggests MLB Owners Play with Non-40-Man Roster Players
May 31, 2020
Former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has chimed in on the ongoing negotiations between MLB owners and the MLB Players Association to play the 2020 season during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"This year is already going to be half a season, maybe less," Gonzalez told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "It's already going to be kind of awkward to get things going. People are going to get sick. We might start up and have to shut down again. I would say let's just work on what we want in the collective bargaining agreement for next year and let's just get that one right."
The five-time All-Star said: "Honestly, if I'm the owners, I would just try to have non-40-man roster play a season and give fans something to watch."
The Players Association has rebutted the league's most recent proposal, though an official counter is still forthcoming:
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_RosenthalIn an memo to players today, the MLBPA said it is weighing the timing and substance of a potential response to MLB’s proposal that “sought additional paycuts of more than $800M that it contends are necessary to make it economically feasible to play games without fans.” 1/2
"Sources say there is a group of owners perfectly willing to shut down the season, to slash payroll costs and reduce losses, and the disparate views among the 30 teams have been reflected in the decisions to fire and furlough," ESPN's Buster Olney reported earlier Sunday.
Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer released a statement addressing how far away the two sides are when it comes to navigating the financial side of MLB's suspended season:
Several other players, such as Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell and Philadelphia Phillies All-Star outfielder Bryce Harper, have come out against MLB's proposed shared revenue plan earlier this month. Harper and Snell share Scott Boras as an agent, and Boras instructed his clients not to "agree to further pay cuts to bail out the owners" Thursday.
The 2020 season was originally scheduled to begin with Opening Day on March 26.
Gonzalez last played for the New York Mets in 2018 after stints with the Texas Rangers (2004-05), San Diego Padres (2006-10), Boston Red Sox (2011-12) and Dodgers (2012-17).