Negotiation fatigue is real for the fans of baseball

At a time when turning on the news can be depressing in so many ways, baseball had the chance to be our hero in recent weeks. We turn to sports for enjoyment and entertainment. It is a great diversion from life's issues for a few hours.

Baseball had the chance. But so far, baseball has failed.

The constant bickering between the players and owners, I believe, has had an opposite effect. I call it negotiation fatigue. Fans are tiring of the back and forth and tired of hearing another day when the sides could not figure out how to divide a very big pie.

We saw reports Friday afternoon that the latest proposal from the league to the players was for a 72-game season at 80 percent prorated pay if the playoffs are completed. We soon saw that the union would reject this offer. We also saw a Sunday deadline to get this season going.

So they didn't agree. Again. Not kidding.

Both sides seem to not be giving much and neither wants to lose. But how about a compromise? Where is the true middle ground and why can't they find it?

I'm already hearing from some fans that don't care if a season is played or not. The players and owners are sapping their enthusiasm for a season. It is indeed fatiguing. It's real and it's costing the sport some fans. Right now.

Major League Baseball has contended they can play any number of games per the March agreement and there is talk of MLB implementing a 48- or 50-game season at 100 percent of the prorated salaries. The owners don't seem inclined to pay 100 percent for a larger number of games.

A player making $5 million would earn $1.54 million at 100 percent prorated for 50 games. But 80 percent of that over 72 games would be $1.77 million. The players can earn more with more games, even at less than 100 percent of the salary prorated.

MLB has put this deadline on this and seems ready to just implement a season of fewer than 72 games if the players don't agree to their Friday offer. The players are not expected to agree. Sigh. Again.

As for the player salaries, I can understand their fight to get 100 percent. I truly can, and they will be taking on risk playing games during a pandemic. But I also feel both sides need to give some. The owners have already guaranteed service time if the season is not played and also recently agreed that teams signing top free agents next winter would not lose draft picks. That will help the free agent market for players. This will likely add dollars to salaries and give more teams incentive to sign the top guys. That should drive up the dollars.

I disagree with the assessment that the players have already agreed to a pay cut. The number of games were cut, not their salaries. If someone was due to earn $5 million in 2020, that was for a 162-game season. The cut comes because of the virus that will not allow MLB to play 162 games. This is no one's fault. The games were cut, not the salaries.

So now, if they do play, there will be games without fans and ownership will lose that revenue. So I would see it as part of compromise if the players took 80 percent of the prorated salaries for more than 50 games. The owners are losing some revenue and the players would be losing some pay. Both are losing something.

The sport just came off an exciting two days with the draft. We had actual baseball and baseball players to talk about for two full days. Baseball was briefly in the spotlight again. Yesterday would have been a great time for players and owners to announce they've agreed on the terms for the 2020 season. Let's play ball. But that didn't happen as of Friday night.

It looks like we are going to have some semblance of a season. We'll see if it's just 40 or 50 games. That's not much of a season, but it is something. If we do get to see MLB games in July, that will remind us how special the sport can be and how talented these players are. You'll be able to watch and root for the Orioles again.

But before we get to that point the players and owners have put the sport's fans through the ringer. Again. Negotiation fatigue.

Feeling a draft: MLBPipeline.com took a look at six clubs that "crushed the draft." Click here to see that the Orioles are No. 4.

Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/d1p3Oj4K70

-- MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 13, 2020