In the minutes after the first substantive conversation between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association in 43 days, some two dozen players gathered on Zoom to discuss the proposal they had just heard. Sometimes such caucuses can devolve into swearing, screaming sessions. But this one was more relaxed, according to a person familiar with it. The players were not excited about the league’s latest offer. But they were not furious, either. A second person characterized their reaction as “disappointed,” a third as “frustrated.”
“Eventually we get to the point of somebody saying, ‘Well, what did you expect?