Illinois governor 'disappointed' MLB players won't accept pay cut

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker weighed in Tuesday on the ongoing negotiation between MLB and the players' association regarding a 2020 season.

"I must say I'm disappointed in many ways that players are holding out for these very, very high salaries and payments during a time when I think everybody is sacrificing," Pritzker said during a press conference, according to Chicago sports anchor Kevin Powell.

Earlier in May, Pritzker expressed his desire to have baseball return to the city of Chicago, which is home to both the Cubs and White Sox.

"I want to see sports play," Pritzker said Friday, according to Shannon Antinori of Patch. "I think it's good for everybody. I think they can do it here in Illinois. Especially if you look at the timetable, there's a high likelihood they could do it within a timetable that we're hoping to be able to reopen many businesses."

The league reportedly completed a proposal for a shortened and compressed 2020 campaign that received owner approval Monday. The plan apparently involves an 82-game schedule, an expanded postseason, and, for the first time in MLB history, revenue sharing.

While the union had not yet been presented with the league's plan, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark was quick to state Monday that any proposal that includes revenue sharing would be rejected, adding: "A system that restricts player pay based on revenues is a salary cap, period."

Players are supposed to receive a copy of the proposal Tuesday.

The league and the union previously agreed to the framework of a plan for the 2020 season, which reportedly guaranteed players prorated salaries based on the number of games played. However, as the likelihood of fan attendance wanes, owners have reportedly become opposed to paying prorated salaries.