Have MLB Owners Dropped The Ball on Negotiating With Players?
With MLB and the MLBPA going back and forth in negotiations, where did MLB owners go wrong when it came to making this deal work? Stephanie Apstein is joined by Kaitlin O'Toole for more on how she thinks MLB owners have looked bad during player negotiations.
Read the full transcript below:
Kaitlin O'Toole: After months of arguing in the press, negotiations between Major League Baseball players and owners still aren't resolved and the MLB Players Association seems to be finally fed up. Joining me now is SI's writer Stephanie Epstein. Stephanie, players are fed up, but I think that people are as well as everyone hopes this season will start safely, of course, sooner rather than later. Why do you think MLB owners have looked bad during negotiations with players?
Stephanie Apstein: I think the root cause of all this is arrogance. They're used to being able to control everything in their lives, and they thought they could control this virus. Because they haven't been able to and they can't have fans in the stands, they have just really dug their heels in on not wanting to pay the players the full salaries. The players were, of course, taking the risk of leaving their families and going out into the world to play a sport. I think it's been really disappointing to watch. The Players Association hasn't been the easiest negotiating partner. But the owners could have resolved this months ago.
Stephanie Apstein: Absolutely, well, we hope that there's a resolution soon. Thank you so much for your insights, Stephanie. Appreciate it.
