MLB Offseason: Owners got a dinger of a CBA

TMZ is reporting suicide.

I'll just always remember him for not sliding during that ridiculous Jeter flip play back in the 2001 ALCS. Jeter became a defensive liability starting around 2002 and I'll always argue that the Yankees should have made him move to 3B when they acquired A-Rod, because Jeter's hips were already grinding to dust, but that play is one of the most insane things I've ever seen a shortshop do.

I really can't imagine Rizzo signing with Chicago again. He was incredibly vocal about how hurt he was when Hoyer launched his bullshit stories with the media, insinuating that Rizzo, Bryant and Baez didn't really want to be Cubs. This is going to be another dogshit year for the Cubs--I'll be shocked if they break 75 wins with that pitching staff--and with Hoyer and the Ricketts family still pleading COVID-related poverty despite owning about 95 percent of the buildings in Wrigleyville, I can't see them going back to the 5 / 70 offer they supposedly made to Rizzo during spring training. (Note that I said supposedly; Hoyer learned from Theo Epstein, who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame just for his incredible ability to manipulate the media alone.)

Just going back to what Rizzo said after Hoyer issued his incredibly moronic lambast:

It's also worth noting that the Rizzo-Cubs reunion story came from Bruce Levine, who has had a very long history in Chicago of just making stories up wholesale. It's kind of his thing.

 

MLB's latest proposal included eliminating several hundred minor-league positions.

 

Bold of you to assume that money won't just flow back to the owners.

 

*owners lock out the players*
*owners gut funding for minor-league baseball*
*owners change the rules of the game to benefit cheaper management*
*owners ensure commissioners make the hall while the best players during their reigns don't*

Media: "Aw, gee whiz, guys, why are the greedy players killing baseball?"

Edit: Also, in the trial of former Angels communications director Eric Kay, Matt Harvey and several other former Angels players testified in federal court Tuesday that they used cocaine and a shit-ton of opioids both in the clubhouse and during games; Harvey also admitted that he supplied Tyler Skaggs with pills. Via that admission, Harvey is subject to an immediate 60-game suspension if he signs with another team.

 

MLB and the MLBPA had another collective bargaining session today. The union presented a new and complete proposal to the league.

The meeting ended after fifteen minutes, with union and league negotiators just straight-up walking out.

 

Yep. If there's a season, it'll be abbreviated. It sounds like there's no chance of an agreement happening before March 1, which is generally agreed-upon as the drop-dead date for a full 162-game season. Based on leaks from today, it sounds like the union said, "Okay, here are a few more concessions, but we want this in return," and the league's negotiators said, "Cool, call us when you're ready for unconditional surrender."

 

Eric Kay has been found guilty of distribution of fentanyl and causing the death of Tyler Skaggs. He faces a minimum of 20 years in prison. I won't lose any sleep over him, but it ills me that I know in my heart MLB is going to scapegoat him as a bad apple rather than admit there's a huge, systemic problem in the league when it comes to painkillers being handed out like candy.

Edit: The jury only needed three hours to render its verdict.

 

Just to show how it goes, Bubba Harkins (the sticky stuff guru for the Angels) just won his appeal a couple weeks ago and his defamation lawsuit against the Angels and MLB is proceeding along again.

 

Another update from today's so-called negotiation session: The league's reps said "we have nothing to talk about" and stormed out. Reportedly Bruce Meyer (the MLBPA's chief negotiator) and Dan Halem (his counterpart with the league) had a sit-down afterwards and it's reported to have been "candid." MLB is supposedly going to schedule another meeting with the union next week.