Mark Teixeira caused a stir Tuesday morning when he advised MLB players to agree to an even split of revenue with MLB team owners for this season. The MLB Players Association believes such a split amounts to a stealth salary cap — as well as the owners reneging on a prior agreement — and thus is unacceptable.
Teixeira, though, also said something that appears to have been largely overlooked: Even if the sides work out the money, there's still no guarantee there will be a season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Do I think that the players would show up at 50-50? Yes. Do I think that the logistics of actually putting on a baseball season and everything that goes into it because of this pandemic is going to happen? I don't think so," Teixeira told ESPN Radio's "Golic and Wingo. "I just don't know that we can get there between the money and the logistics and everybody feeling good about this. We're definitely not there yet."
MLB wants an 82-game regular season that would begin around July 1, followed by expanded playoffs with seven clubs in each league. A number of those regular-season games would be played in empty stadiums as state and local governments in North America continue to place limits on public gatherings.
FAGAN: A guide to an 82-game MLB season
The players agreed March 26 to be paid on a prorated basis for regular-season games played this year. Owners now are pursuing the revenue split because of the prospect of empty ballparks and the loss of revenue that comes with them. That's seen as asking players to take a pay cut and a violation of the March agreement.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Tuesday night that owners no longer want to pay prorated salaries because it would cost them more to do that than simply canceling the season.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that owners did not make a formal proposal on a revenue share in their scheduled teleconference with players. Talks will continue but no dates are scheduled.
Teixeira, who retired after the 2016 season with the Yankees and is now an MLB analyst for ESPN, would like to see the union "bend" for once and accept a proposal that isn't good for them but is "very reasonable" at a time when many Americans are facing financial hardships because of COVID-19. Otherwise, owners may just not open stadiums at all.
"Players need to understand that if they turn this deal down and shut the sport down, they're not making a cent," Teixeira told "Golic and Wingo. "I would rather make pennies on the dollar and give hope to people and play baseball than not make anything and lose an entire year off their career."
