Re: MLB Off-Topic
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When senior officials from the Biden administration spoke with Major League Baseball last week, the Players Association did not wish to be part of the conversation, believing it would be pressured into delaying the season.
The union, by scheduling its own discussion with the same officials for a later date, avoided hearing what the government representatives suggested to MLB, according to sources: a one-month delay, with the idea of getting players vaccinated in time to start the season.
The delay will not take place, unless COVID-19 dictates otherwise. The union Monday rejected a proposal from the league to shorten the season to 154 games and pay them for 162, saying the deal was not enough of an improvement over its current situation under the sport’s collective bargaining agreement.
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The government officials, according to sources, told MLB their confidence in players getting vaccinated before a delayed opening stemmed from the expected introduction of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration’s top medical adviser, said Wednesday that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be authorized for emergency use “within a week or so.”
The league did not share with the union details from their meeting with the government but conveyed them to team presidents on a call Wednesday. In the union’s view, further discussion about a delay is no longer relevant or constructive. The league said in a statement Monday it is moving forward and instructing clubs to report for an on-time start to spring training and the regular season, subject to reaching an agreement with the union on health and safety protocols. The parties continue to discuss the protocols, sources say.
There is no guarantee a delay of one month would be enough to improve the players’ chances of staying safe or ensure they would get the vaccine. But many team employees, at the executive level and below, are nervous about reporting in two weeks to Florida and Arizona, where the rates of infection are declining but remain high. Those employees express particular concern for the safety of older coaches, managers, umpires and staffers who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The union, by scheduling its own discussion with the same officials for a later date, avoided hearing what the government representatives suggested to MLB, according to sources: a one-month delay, with the idea of getting players vaccinated in time to start the season.
The delay will not take place, unless COVID-19 dictates otherwise. The union Monday rejected a proposal from the league to shorten the season to 154 games and pay them for 162, saying the deal was not enough of an improvement over its current situation under the sport’s collective bargaining agreement.
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The government officials, according to sources, told MLB their confidence in players getting vaccinated before a delayed opening stemmed from the expected introduction of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration’s top medical adviser, said Wednesday that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be authorized for emergency use “within a week or so.”
The league did not share with the union details from their meeting with the government but conveyed them to team presidents on a call Wednesday. In the union’s view, further discussion about a delay is no longer relevant or constructive. The league said in a statement Monday it is moving forward and instructing clubs to report for an on-time start to spring training and the regular season, subject to reaching an agreement with the union on health and safety protocols. The parties continue to discuss the protocols, sources say.
There is no guarantee a delay of one month would be enough to improve the players’ chances of staying safe or ensure they would get the vaccine. But many team employees, at the executive level and below, are nervous about reporting in two weeks to Florida and Arizona, where the rates of infection are declining but remain high. Those employees express particular concern for the safety of older coaches, managers, umpires and staffers who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
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