It is very clear that the players are frustrated with Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners as it pertains to the lockout. They have been taking multiple shots at the league in general and Manfred specifically. And yet, there was some hope that the league would come to the table with a viable offer to continue discussions on a new CBA on Saturday.
Those hopes lasted for less than an hour. The meeting ended quickly, with the lockout remaining in place. Former Oakland A’s reliever Jake Diekman tweeted out a gif that perfectly summed up the players’ thoughts about that proposal.
— Jake Diekman (@JakeDiekman) February 12, 2022
Jake Diekman shares everyone’s thoughts on latest league proposal
The owners and Manfred knew that this proposal would not be accepted. However, they were hoping that this would start the conversation towards a compromise. Those hopes were clearly in vain as the MLBPA was reportedly underwhelmed by the latest attempt.
It is understandable as to why the players would feel that way. The league had over two months to make proposals that would “start the conversation” toward a new CBA, but instead chose to sit around and do nothing. They essentially stopped negotiating when their first proposal was rejected, requested mediation, and threw up their hands saying they were out of ideas although they had yet to actually do anything.
Even though we knew it would not happen, there was still hope that the league’s proposal would be more than just starting points. But until the threat of games being lost becomes a reality, there is no reason for the league to actually negotiate.
Major League Baseball made another offer to end the lockout on Saturday. Jake Diekman’s tweet perfectly sums up how the players felt about that attempt.