Mark Teixeira, known for his years as the New York Yankees‘ first baseman, made the news in the last few days for urging players to take the best deal they could get from MLB owners, so that baseball could return eventually.
However, the labor war, as NJ.com notes, is turning its ugly face and Teixeira believes that the owners could “break” the union, one that the former Yankees used to be a member of.
Teixeira said on ESPN Baseball Tonight podcast that he is getting worried because of the owners’ latest actions, which include the proposal of a sliding payment scale that would severely cut the earnings of the highest-paid players in the league.
The Yankees’ great is concerned
“I would hate for owners to use this opportunity to break the union,’’ Teixeira said. “This is our lives.â€
“What I see, this sliding pay scale deal is basically the owners saying, ‘I’m gonna pit the young players against the veterans and I’m gonna bet that the young players want to play,’’’ Teixeira said. “’And I’m gonna bet the veterans are gonna say no way this is ridiculous and I’m gonna let you fight amongst each other ’til you come back to the table.’’
When he was asked whether he believed there would be baseball in 2020 or not, the Yankees’ great still has a positive answer, despite the most recent events, which have been downright ugly to say the least.
“I think, eventually, players and owners will understand there are ways to move forward,’’ Teixeira said. “And as bad as it looks, I am cautiously optimistic for some agreement in the next few weeks.â€
MLB had to halt spring training in mid-March because of concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus. The pandemic has killed thousands of people around the world, with the United States among the most affected countries.