In 1966, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale were set to pitch for the defending World Series champion Dodgers. The only issue for the future Hall of Famers, though, was their compensation. The players were offered slight raises coming into 1966: From $85,000 to $100,000 for Koufax, and from $80,000 to $85,000 for Drysdale. Despite that, the pair of pitchers were determined to not let the team play them against each other in contract negotiations.
I'm not going to say this is a great thing; this is unforeseen. At the end of the day, leadership is important and leadership comes and goes, but what remains is the players. Our union is strong and always has been strong because of the solidarity of our members, of our players. That is going to continue, and as I've said in the past in different contexts, anybody who underestimates the strength of the MLB Players Association does so at their own peril.