Chris Iannetta: 'Fans Want to See Baseball, and They Don't Want to See the B.S.'

New York Yankees catcher Chris Iannetta believes Major League Baseball's negotiating tactics have helped turn public opinion away from the owners and toward the players as the two sides continue to discuss a deal that would potentially allow the 2020 season to start.  

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Iannetta said fans of the sport "want to see baseball, and they don't want to see the B.S." that has come with how the league has tried to negotiate with the union:

"I believe that the fans have seen through the MLB PR machine. I think you've seen over the course of this entire negotiation how documents have been leaked at a timely fashion from their side. I believe that comments have come out from politicians, doctors, you name it. I think people are seeing through that pressure tactic or PR move and fans are getting frustrated with it."

MLB and the MLB Players Association have had very public disagreements over the past two months as they attempt to negotiate a deal for a shortened season. 

Prorated pay has been one of the key sticking points between the two sides. Each of the league's first three proposals included a percentage of prorated salaries, while the union has countered with longer regular-season schedules of 114 and 89 games with full prorated pay. 

After the owners' proposal of a 72-game season with up to 80 percent prorated pay if the postseason is completed, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark issued a statement on Saturday saying, "further dialogue with the league would be futile." 

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, commissioner Rob Manfred and Clark "settled on the framework of an agreement" for a 60-game regular season with full prorated pay that would begin on July 19 or 20. 

The MLBPA tweeted on Wednesday that reports of an agreed-upon deal "are false."

Rosenthal and Drellich noted the union doesn't consider the 60-game schedule "enough of an increase from the 50-odd number the league could impose to pass on a potential grievance and agree to an expanded postseason."

Manfred has the authority to set a schedule based on a March agreement between the owners and union, but the two sides can keep negotiating if they believe there is a deal to be made in time to salvage a shortened 2020 season. 

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.