Tom Glavine: MLB players could take the blame if 2020 season doesn't happen

Glavine was a players' union representative during the baseball strike of 1994-95

The 2020 Major League Baseball season is currently in limbo due to the coronavirus pandemic. As MLB and the MLBPA try to come to an agreement salvage this season, many players have expressed concerns about playing for reduced salaries while being at risk of contracting COVID-19.

Former Atlanta Braves star pitcher Tom Glavine believes that ultimately the players could be to blame if baseball doesn't return this season. Glavine is well educated on the issue. He compared this year's situation to the baseball strike of 1994-95, when he was a players' union representative

"If it were to come down to an economic issue and that's the reason baseball didn't come back, you're looking at a situation similar to the strike of '94 and '95 as far as fans are concerned," Glavine told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Even if players were 100% justified in what they were complaining about, they're still going to look bad."

MLB owners have already agreed on terms for a potential 2020 return. The proposal outlines an 82-game schedule beginning in early July with 30-player active rosters, 14 playoff teams and a 50-50 revenue split for players and owners. 

The players union has yet to agree to the proposal, and multiple players have said they are not on board with the new revenue split plan. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer called the proposal "laughable." Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell was among the most outspoken regarding the proposal. He revealed that he would sit out the 2020 season if the league were to return under those parameters.

Even though Glavine said the players would take the blame for a lost season, he admitted that a revenue split to the union is "a scary proposition." Still, the hall of fame pitcher urged players not to speak on their salary too much because he learned the hard way in 1994 that it isn't much use.

"The accessibility thing was a miscalculation on my part," Glavine said of his role in the 1994 strike. "I just felt like if I did an interview on the radio or TV, if I had five or 10 minutes, I could make somebody understand what was going on and come to our side. That just wasn't going to happen."

At the same time, Glavine understands that players are worried about the spread of the coronavirus -- and rightfully so.

"I understand that a big part for all of us in getting back to our normal is to have sports back," Glavine added. "But you can't dismiss a player's concern for his health or his family's health any more than you would dismiss your own concerns.