Pirates' Musgrove doesn't want pay cut: 'We don't get a raise' for sellouts

Major League Baseball teams will be looking to recoup lost revenue if and when games begin without fans in attendance and have floated the idea of asking players to take pay cuts. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove doesn't believe that's fair.

"I know they want us to take a pay cut as players, but I just think that we want to be paid fairly," Musgrove told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We just want a fair amount for the games that we're going to play, even if that's prorated.

"I understand that the team and everybody is not making money on tickets, concessions, or any of that stuff. But you think about seasons where they do really well, make a ton of money, and sell out every game, we don't get a raise just because they make a lot of money and do really well. I don't see why we should have to take a pay cut when things are tough."

Musgrove's comments come shortly after the Pirates' MLBPA representative, Jameson Taillon, remarked on player salaries during the coronavirus pandemic, as well.

"It's a really tricky subject," Taillon said during an appearance on 93.7 FM, according to Kevin Gorman of TribLive. "Athletes don't really ever win when we talk about salary. We already negotiated. ... We understand this is a weird time for everyone. Everyone is going to have to agree to certain things. It’s not going to be a normal season. Our pay is already not normal. But when owners make extra profit and tons money, staff and employees don't make extra money, either."

The league and union reportedly agreed to general parameters for the 2020 season, which included players accruing a full year of service time (even if no games are played). However, the salary payment structure for players remains unclear, with some believing the league and players settled on a prorated salary scale based on games played, but did not come to an agreement if games were played without fans.