GOODYEAR, ARIZONA – MARCH 03: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels prepares for a spring training game against the Cleveland Indians at Goodyear Ballpark on March 03, 2020 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Rob Manfred questions if there will be a season at all in 2020 for Major League Baseball. However, the league’s best player, Mike Trout, is ready to go whenever and wherever.
On Monday afternoon, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred revealed that he is not confident about any MLB season occurring in 2020, just days after he was quoted to say there was a “100 percent” chance of there being a season. The owners and players cannot come to an agreement and the likelihood of a season seems to only get dimmer every day. However, that should change if Mike Trout has anything to say about it.
On Tuesday, Trout broke his silence on Twitter as he added his voice to MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark’s statement about Manfred’s position. Clark expressed disgust on behalf of the players and called out the league for negotiating in “bad faith” since the beginning.
Trout responded to the tweet with “Tell us when and where,” making it clear he – as other players have said – is ready to play whenever given the chance. If the league wants to mandate a season, the players at this point believe they should do it and get on with things.
Having any and all players speak out is helpful in the cause of the players in the public eye, but Trout is perhaps the most important. As the highest-paid player in the league and one most fans see as the best in the entire game, his words speak volumes.
Many are hoping that the league can return to play this year, especially with the upcoming CBA negotiations expected to lead to a lockout in 2021. If the league was smart, listening to Trout and getting the players back on the field under their terms would be the smartest decision for owners. Especially with the image of baseball taking a massive hit with them being the only league with no expectation of returning right now.
There has to be some worry for both sides, as the whole situation has been a mess. The usually quiet Trout has shared his opinion multiple times this year, making his words amongst the most important in the league. Let’s hope his ability to speak up can lead to the league returning sometime in 2020.