Reese Kaplan -- So What Kind of Baseball Takes Place in 2022?

With the stunning lack of progress in the negotiations between the Major League team owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association you have to begin to wonder about baseball for the year 2022.  

On the one hand, you have a group of people who feel that after some posturing by both sides and the lockout continuing, there will be capitulation on some of the issues and the season will begin late, perhaps scaling back the 162 game season to 154 or some other agreed upon numbers.  

The opposite perspective is that the players' representatives have essentially done a very poor job and been publicly humiliated the last few times labor and finance issues were brought to the table.  Consequently they feel that the players will continue to sit out until there are at least an equal number of times the owners acquiesce and the players team can hold their heads a bit higher than they've done in the past.  This approach portends a much longer delay to the start of the season (if it begins at all).

Then there is the compromise side in which fans are prepared for a replay of the 2020 COVID-shortened season.  This model has been used already and despite only having 60 games instead of 162, there is a track history on how to make it work.  This result would presume a much longer lockout than many would hope to see and members of each side would lose a ton of money in the process.

Right now there is some baseball on the foreseeable horizon with minor leaguers not currently on the 40-man roster fully eligible and expected to play the game.  While some folks heave a cynical, "Whatever!" when informed about this prospect of unknown players affiliated with their favorite team taking the field, the fact is that players not yet added to the 40-man roster either means they are less likely to succeed in the majors (if they make it at all), or that they are too young without enough minor league service time that 40-man roster membership is not yet warranted by baseball rules.

Personally, I am of the opinion that sites like ours and many others provide ample feedback on the top level prospects and have created expectations of what kind of success they will achieve when promoted to the big club.  However, the minor leaguers that are less well known might indeed be interesting as their stories and abilities have not been profiled on numerous websites with the same ferocity and intensity as you would find for a Brett Baty, a Ronny Mauricio or a Mark Vientos.  

While second tier minor leaguers may not replace the level of play to which we've all grown accustomed, the fact is that it is not the lesser level players here who are at fault.  It is the stubbornness of the owners and the players union that resulted in this less than ideal scenario taking place.  Everyone knows that baseball is not merely entertainment, but it's also a for-profit business.  Consequently there is a need for both sides to realize certain gains in the negotiations.  

The ultimate issue on the table is what people think about the game of baseball and the corresponding levels of greed on both sides of the table.  There are other entertainment options out there in person and online that people can enjoy when the highest level of the pro game is unavailable to them.  That action could lead to increasing dissatisfaction with the sport, decreasing attendance, lower viewership and frankly baseball becoming a modern day game of jousting.  

Yes, it's possible that some folks still participate in and want to view it, but that number is ridiculously low and not profitable for anyone.