Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Cuts coming for Pirates, but will a baseball season soon follow?

As the NBA and NHL prepare for the playoffs, baseball’s return remains on hold as MLB owners and the players’ association continue to haggle over economic issues.

On Thursday, officials from the MLBPA held a digital meeting with more than 100 players, including the union’s executive board, then released a statement that has “resoundingly rejected” the owners’ latest offer for a shortened season.

Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/jEdgARWhQy

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 5, 2020

MLB initially proposed an 82-game schedule with a sliding pay scale that would affect the highest-paid players the most. The union countered with a 114-game regular season with no pay cuts beyond the prorated salaries agreed to in March.

When MLB responded by suggesting a 50-game season, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark called it a “threat.” Clark said the “overwhelming consensus” is that players “are ready to report” and “willing to do so under unprecedented conditions.”

Just not under any conditions.

1. Going green: Although both sides appear to entrenched, it is still early in negotiations.

That the focus remains on player salaries should come as no surprise, with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire after the 2021 season.

Neither side wants to give an inch.

Another aspect to consider is the fan factor. Baseball’s reputation would be damaged if it can’t salvage a season, even one without fans in the stands. And Pirates player representative Jameson Taillon made it clear in a tweet the players want to play baseball this summer for the fans.

Geesh. If owners promoted/cared about their own players and game half as much as they care about promoting their agenda during a pandemic, we would have a better chance to find common ground to get baseball back on the field for our amazing fans.

— Jameson Taillon (@JTaillon19) June 4, 2020

As Western Pennsylvania goes green Friday, it is hard to believe baseball isn’t ready to open for business.

MLB says it would average a loss of $640,000 for each additional game played without fans, which is why it is demanding salary concessions from players and threatening to play the shortest season in modern history.

But baseball won’t risk losing $787 million in broadcast revenue, so it’s a good bet there will be a season with expanded playoffs.

2. Confident call: Pirates general manager Ben Cherington expressed confidence Wednesday on a conference call that there will be a season — for two reasons.

The first is the amount of time and energy that MLB put into collaborating with the union to “put together a really robust protocol around safety and health,” noting the 67-page proposal has been edited as the league receives feedback from different groups, including players.

“And then I’m confident because I believe that league, teams and players all are motivated to get to a season,” Cherington said.

“And when groups are motivated, it gives us a chance to find a solution. I believe there’s enough motivation to get there. Of course, until it happens, we can’t be certain. We can’t guarantee. But that’s why I’m confident.”

3. Second spring: Cherington said the Pirates will hold a Spring Training 2.0 — if there is an agreement on a season — at PNC Park.

The club plans to utilize both clubhouses and dugouts for safe distancing, but Cherington said it is possible an additional site will be necessary.

“We’re working through what those options could be,” Cherington said, “but we’re confident we put together a good program at PNC.”

What will be interesting to see is if the Pirates will use high school or college facilities. Pitt’s Charles L. Cost Field, for example, has synthetic grass, and Point Park Field at Green Tree Park has natural turf.

4. Secondary sites: Not only is the MLB season in limbo, but the minor leagues are in jeopardy of not playing.

Player development remains a concern for teams, especially the young Pirates, and Cherington said he believes MLB will want uniformity across the sport.

One thing to consider is what the Pirates will do with a taxi squad of players who aren’t on expanded rosters but remain active as potential replacements.

It is possible the Pirates could use PNG Field, home to their Double-A affiliate the Altoona Curve, as training grounds because of its proximity. They also could base a team in Bradenton, where they have facilities at Pirate City and LECOM Park.

That could be complicated if there will be some type of minor-league training going on with prospects this summer. Cherington suggested it could be a “graduated Instructional League where you’re playing games against local organizations” and said there has been modeling done based on the Arizona Fall League and expanding the concept to other sites.

“We definitely remain hopeful that there will be some kind of player development activity in 2020,” Cherington said. “Exactly what that looks like, where it is remains to be seen. The league wants to prioritize figuring out a solution for the major league season first.

“I would characterize it as an important topic for the league to figure out, but we need to figure out the major league portion first. There’s been a lot of work done behind the scenes by the teams and the league. We hope we can get to that and include as many of our players as we can. It may not be 100% of them. We’ll see.”

5. Cuts coming: No wonder Cherington said he expects the Pirates to join other MLB teams in releasing minor-league players sometime soon. The Pirates have 300-plus players in their system and have promised to pay them a $400 weekly stipend through June.

But it also can be viewed as a negotiation tactic, putting pressure on players to save their jobs by agreeing to a deal.

It will be very telling, as the Pirates aren’t going to cut ties with prospects they feel are part of the major league club’s future.

“It all comes back to the best information we have about looking forward to next year,” Cherington said. “Our feeling — and I think the feeling of other teams — has been that if we truly cannot see opportunity next year for a minor league player, we are not necessarily helping them by extending the relationship, if it’s that clear.”