A Return for Baseball Would Require a New Debate

For the owners, that set up another negotiation on pay structure, in an altered economic landscape. The players’ side has a different interpretation of “economic feasibility,” according to the agent Scott Boras.

“The economics they’re talking about is whether they play or not, not what they pay the players to play,” said Boras, adding: “Owners had every opportunity to say, ‘We will also reduce the rate of your salaries if these conditions exist.’ They didn’t, and the reason they wouldn’t is because players would never accept it; they would never agree to the deal.”

The issue spilled into the public discourse on Wednesday when Cuomo told his brother, Chris, on CNN that he had spoken with the Mets’ chief operating officer, Jeff Wilpon, about playing games without fans, and that Wilpon had mentioned an obstacle.

“Apparently Major League Baseball would have to make a deal with the players, because if you have no one in the stands, then the numbers are going to change, right?” Governor Cuomo said. “The economics are going to change.”

Wilpon declined to comment through a spokesman, but M.L.B. supported him with a statement that said, “Both parties understood that the deal was premised on playing in stadiums with fans, and the agreement makes that clear.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/sports/baseball/coronavirus-baseball.html