Following a day of video conferences with other players in leadership positions in the Players Association, Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer held the position that his union would not accept further pay cuts.

"After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players there's no reason to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions," Scherzer, a prominent voice in the union, tweeted on Wednesday night.

"We have previously negotiated a pay cut in the version of prorated salaries, and there's no justification to accept a 2nd pay cut based upon the current information the union has received. I'm glad to hear other players voicing the same viewpoint and believe MLB's economic strategy would completely change if all documentation were to become public information."

Scherzer's tweet underscored the mistrust between the union and owners -- essentially, the players do not accept as truth the owners' claim that paying prorated salaries with no fans in attendance is not economically feasible.

He is daring MLB to open its books in order to justify further cuts. If owners refuse to do that, the players won't budge on pay.

But the players do understand they will need to make other concessions in order to begin a season that they very much want to play. Deferred payments could be key to negotiations.

As negotiations continue, both sides will raise new ideas -- ones that haven't occurred to most of us yet -- that would represent concessions. There are many areas that could satisfy this, from service time issues to salary floors to postseason shares. That's just to name a few random possibilities.

There are agents who remain convinced that in a climate where most Americans are either losing jobs or seeing their pay reduced, players will have to accept some kind of cut.

The players are still working off a reading of their March 26 agreement with the league on a pro-rata structure that is shaky at best. Even some attorneys on the player side concede that the agreement allows for pay cuts if games are played with no fans.

Other agents advocate a harder line on pay cuts, saying that the owners won't cancel the season on what amounts to small additional cuts.

As one agent put it, "$150 million payroll. $75 million pro-rata. They want it where -- $50 million? $60 million? They're not walking over that."

Meanwhile, MLB and its clubs continue to aggressively lay groundwork for the season. Teams are busy planning spring training camps and working through logistics of televising games.

Players, not wanting to lose a year of their fleeting careers, are also preparing under the assumption that there will be a season.

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