Padres' Austin Hedges Is 'Very Confident' The MLB Season Gets Played, Saying Over The Last 48 Hours The Two Sides Have Been Getting Stuff Done
I feel like over the last few days there's been a lot of pessimism of whether the MLB season happens in 2020. Coley's blog would lead you to believe it's going to be impossible to get these guys back on the field. There's the big money issue as well with both the owners and players needing to come to some kind of agreement financially to make this work. As uncharacteristically optimistic as I've tried to be, my hope has been admittedly waning over the last week. I didn't think I needed someone like Austin Hedges to give me a shot of adrenaline, but I guess I did. Here's what he told the San Diego Tribune.
Real quick, you may be wondering why Austin Hedges is important here? He's the Padres player rep for the MLBPA and has been involved in conference calls over the last few days with other player reps to try and make this work.
“Over the last 48 hours, it really feels like we’re getting some stuff done,” the Padres catcher said Monday afternoon. “I really do believe we’re to a point where a decision will be made. … I feel very confident it’s going to happen.”
“It sounds like we’re finally coming up with something, at least making decisions,” he said. “Instead of, ‘What if we do this?’ it’s, ‘Let’s do this.’ ”
Sounds like to me both sides are giving in a little! We're getting stuff done! Could a compromise be afoot?
“We’ve got to make sacrifices anyways,” he said. “Let’s make those sacrifices now with the future in mind. Everything we’re working for is not to make this year extra special. It’s let’s get through this year as best we can and cut our losses but make sure 2021 and beyond the league is going to be in great shape.
“Instead of everybody talking about both of us losing money, owners want to talk about how much they’re losing and players want to talk about how much they’re losing. … I think everybody should have both in mind. Anything we do, the fact we’re all losing should be kept in mind.”
Both sides have admitted they have room to work with in terms of negotiations because at the end of the day they all want the season to happen. A lost season would be catastrophic on all sorts of ends. As I said from the beginning, there's no way what the owners offered originally was their final decision. That's not how you play ball (pun not intended). Offer to the moon and work down from there. The players were going to obviously turn that done and try to meet somewhere in the middle and that's what appears to be happening. Just because Jon Heyman listed all those concessions in Coley's blog doesn't mean they all have to happen.
The two sides probably have what? A week or so to get this done? Feel like you need a final decision by the end of May so that players can get ready to report to their respective spring trainings. I think that can happen? Parlay Hedges' comments with the news from the New York, California, and Texas governors yesterday saying they want pro sports back soon in their states and I'm looking at this from the glass half full perspective again!
“I think (most players) are on board,” Hedges said. “We want to play and bring home money to our families. … I think it will happen. Especially with what the governor said today, I’m excited.”
Please keep feeding me good news like this. It's all I have left.