MLB lockout may threaten baseball’s season and its fragile relationship with fans

You've likely been hearing about the invigorated labor movement recently. One labor union pushing for big changes, with members right here in Seattle, is the Major League Baseball Players Association. In December, MLB owners locked out the players, bringing everything to a standstill, and raising the specter that the baseball season might not start on time.

Corey Brock covers the Seattle Mariners for The Athletic. He says players are fighting hard for economic issues, including higher minimum salaries, and the ability to reach free agency sooner. Brock talked to KUOW’s Kim Malcolm about what the lockout means for the Mariners, and for baseball as a whole.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Corey Brock: I think it's important that the regular season schedule stay intact. I think both sides realize there's a real missed opportunity there, and I'm not just talking financially. If you go back to the last player strike in 1995, a lot of fans just didn't come back. They got tired of what was happening and they moved on to another sport. I think baseball has a real image issue right now. They have to be wary of alienating their fan base.

Kim Malcolm: Even before this labor dispute, there's been disappointment expressed by a lot of fans about how the game is being played these days. If this labor dispute lingers, is Major League Baseball at risk of really doing some permanent damage?

Well, absolutely. I think it becomes harder and harder to watch some of these games because they stretch past three hours. Baseball has had a long problem of trying to market itself and become appealing to a younger demographic. I keep going back to those three games at the end of the regular season last year with the sold-out crowds at T-Mobile Park. Fans were coming out because the Mariners were in it. I think this town is starved for a winner, but you’ve got to be able to get that team out on the field.

Bigger picture, how is this dispute impacting how the Mariners are putting their team together right now?

The Mariners made two moves. They traded for Adam Frazier, an infielder who was with the Padres. I think he's going to be a nice addition. And then they signed the reigning American League Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, who was with the Jays last year. They gave him five years and $115 million. This deal was consummated just days before the lockout started.

When this lockout ends, you're going to see a flurry of action, because the Mariners have a lot of ground to make up. They still need to add some offense to really push this rebuild over the top. They won 90 games last year. They have some young, exciting talent, but they do need some help. They’ve got to be able to score some runs.

Opening day is scheduled for March 31. What are the chances that the regular season is going to be delayed?

I just think there's too much at stake here, financially. And I think it's just an awful look if they have to delay the start of the regular season. The other issue is a lot of these stadiums are locked into dates for other events. It's just going to be a jumbled mess if you have to try and redraw that schedule.

But at the end of the day, no baseball on opening day is going to hurt both of these sides where it hurts the most, in the pocketbook. I think it would behoove them to get this thing figured out, get spring training going, and move along with the regular season as it was proposed.

You may have heard some people framing this labor dispute as millionaire players vs. billionaire owners, with greed on both sides. What would you say?

I would say the game is flush with money and these owners do very well, even though some of them cry poverty. I just think the baseball player’s salary, while these guys do make a good living, hasn't really matched how well teams and the owners are doing. I think that's what the players are fighting for. And they're not just fighting for themselves, they're fighting for the guys who will follow behind them. They're trying to certainly make more money for themselves at this point, but they want to get something in writing that the other guys who follow behind them in the years to come will be taken care of as well. I think it's sort of a multifaceted issue.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.