The stakes have never been higher for each party to reach an agreement.

As the clock ticks, MLB and the Players Association are at odds on a financial compensation system that allows a shortened 2020 season. The rattling of sabers could be heard as you read various accounts of the union’s initial response to MLB’s sliding pay cut offer Tuesday; “disappointed,” “extremely disappointed,” “unhappy,” “bristled,” “ire,” and “driving a wedge” were some of the terms of choice. And so, people worried.

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer added to the gloom Wednesday night when he released a statement that said players would not “engage with MLB” on pay cuts beyond a pro-rated basis. Even more pointedly, he also accused owners of dealing in a lack of transparency. He charged that “MLB’s economic strategy would completely change if all documentation were to become public information.”

This was a first offer between two