Major League Baseball players are not buying the additional pay cuts that the owners are trying to sell them.
And with both sides showing no signs of budging, the chance of a 2020 baseball season getting started remains stalled.
In a statement Thursday night, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said that “the league’s demand for additional concessions was resoundingly rejected” by the MLBPA’s Executive Board in a Thursday conference call.
On Wednesday, MLB rejected the players’ offer of a 114-game season at a full 100 percent of their prorated salaries. The owners, fearful of bearing responsibility for all of the revenue losses playing without fans in attendance, said they could only offer players 100 percent of their prorated salaries in an approximately 50-game season.
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The owners originally asked the players to accept a 40 percent cut to their already agreed upon prorated salary in an 82-game proposal.
The amount of money a player would make at 100 percent of a 50-game schedule is roughly the same as the player would make at 60 percent of his prorated salary at 82 games, meaning the owners have yet to move off a hard figure of acceptable losses.
And the players, who agreed in late March to prorated salaries, do not acknowledge there is any language in that agreement that forces them to make further concessions.
“Earlier this week, Major League Baseball communicated its intention to schedule a dramatically shortened 2020 season unless Players negotiate salary concessions,” Clark said in the statement. “The concessions being sought are in addition to billions in Player salary reductions that have already been agreed upon.”
The owners did not present a counterproposal to the players’ 114-game plan.
“This threat came in response to an Association proposal aimed at charting a path forward,” wrote Clark. “Among other things, Players proposed more games, two years of expanded playoffs, salary deferrals in the event of a 2020 playoff cancellation, and the exploration of additional jewel events and broadcast enhancements aimed at creatively bringing our Players to the fans while simultaneously increasing the value of our product.
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“Rather than engage, the league replied it will shorten the season unless Players agree to further salary reductions.”
A response from MLB was not immediately available.
Clark began his statement noting, “In this time of unprecedented suffering at home and abroad, Players want nothing more than to get back to work and provide baseball fans with the game we all love. But we cannot do this alone.”
Clark said that “the overwhelming consensus of the Board is that Players are ready to report, ready to get back on the field, and they are willing to do so under unprecedented conditions that could affect the health and safety of not just themselves, but their families as well.”
In conclusion, Clark offered a conciliatory tone that signaled some degree of willingness to reengage with the owners.
“Important work remains to be done in order to safely resume the season,” said Clark. “We stand ready to complete that work and look forward to getting back on the field.”
Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeSilvermanBB