If you’ve been paying attention, the negotiations to return to play in 2020 has happened like this. The players make an offer, and the owners counter by making the same exact proposal each and every time. No matter what, the owners say choose however games you want, but we’re only paying you for 50 of them.

While doing this, they’ve admitted they agreed to pay a fully prorated share for however many games are played. They’ve done that while making nonsensical claims business with literally appreciate in value hundreds of millions to billions of dollars aren’t really profitable. They’re trying to tell us about all the money they’re losing while not opening their books and cashing in to the tune of roughly half a billion just one TV deal that does not include a World Series.

So, seeing that, and seeing how Manfred is set to appear on ESPN with the commissioners of the other sports less than a week getting taken to task by Karl Ravech, the MLBPA called Manfred’s bluff:

Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/d1p3Oj4K70

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 13, 2020

Effectively, the players are daring the owners to go ahead and use their rights under the March agreement to just set the regular season games to be played. The problem for MLB is that doesn’t give them the unilateral right to expand the postseason, which might’ve been something they just sold to TBS, or are prepared to shop to other networks.

So, now, MLB is in the position where their commissioner is less than 48 hours away having to defend himself instead of touting the sports return. That happening alongside the NHL, who is actually going to play and be in a position to steal everyone’s spotlight makes this all the worse for MLB.

If you’re a baseball fan, you could be heartened that this is the one thing which could stop this complete lack of progress. This is the one move which will get an MLB season.

Then again, you should also be angry. The owners are dragging their feet and bringing the sport down with them. They’ve yet again proven they think everyone else is stupid and that they don’t really care about the future of the game.

Essentially, Mets fans are learning there’s somehow 29 other Wilpons out there.

To that end, being able to highlight how inept the Wilpons are and how they don’t really care about winning, or at this point actually playing, may just be the one normal feeling a Mets fan gets out of this season. We’ll soon see.