Remember in “Breaking Bad” when Walt rehired Jesse in the lab so Jesse wouldn’t sue Hank for assaulting him?

The arrangement meets everyone’s short-term needs. It also produces far more long-term agita.

Which recalls the regular schedule of Major League Baseball’s 50s matches that Rob Manfred, on behalf of its owner, had threatened to bring down Tony Clark and his players. This will represent a reluctant reboot, the opposite of the original collaboration, and of course that won’t bode well for the future of the game, especially with the current Basic Agreement which will expire next year.

That would tarnish Manfred’s legacy and could jeopardize the security of Clark’s work.

The pain and risk of this plan has the potential to expand beyond the commissioners and executive directors of the MLB Players Association. What about the list of five people besides Manfred and Clark who have lost the most from this campaign’s mini menu? You know you like the list:

1. Mark Lerner

As the main owner of the Nationals manager, defending champion, Lerner has missed the sweetest plum of the force: ticket sales and TV ratings bounce for the following year. Lerner spent $ 245 million last December to retain male pitcher Stephen Strasburg and maintain the club’s initial star rotation, the secret to success.

However, because Nats values ​​better than anyone, season 50 matches don’t reveal much. Washington reached its lowest point in 2019 at the 50-match mark, dropping the decision of the Mets to fall to 19-31 before rising. This talented and fun group deserves a legitimate opportunity to repeat and continue to build its brand. Maybe not understand.

2. James Paxton

The entire group of free agents 2020-21 will lose because of the defeat this year for the club regardless of how many games are played. Nevertheless, the top people in their current year are like Mookie Betts, J.T. Realmuto and Mets’ Marcus Stroman can feel comfortable assuming that, if they will not get as much as they expected before closing coronavirus, they do not need to sweat because they have to excel at reducing schedules. People don’t know who they are and what they can do.

Paxton’s platform with the Yankees feels different. He has set the ceiling as a frontline thrower. He has yet to prove his endurance, with 163 innings / year last year pitched (including 13 postseason innings) setting a high career. The ability to stay upright and above the average of less than a third of your standard regular season will not significantly allay those fears, even though you know Paxton agent Scott Boras will try to do that. And if Paxton suffers another injury, he might see a pillow contract for 2021.

3. Dusty Baker

He signed a one-year contract to manage Astros, replacing A.J. which Hinch dismissed behind the Houston signature thief scandal. If we don’t have a season at all, the Astros will surely bring back the respected Baker to give him a chance in ’21. What if 50 matches run by Astros run sideways for whatever reason? Astros can easily decide to move with a different captain.

4. Brodie Van Wagenen

Fifty games would be better than zero for the Mets general manager, who built a win-now list for sell-now owners. And hey, maybe this Mets can benefit from a shorter schedule now that Noah Syndergaard has left, not to mention some strong candidates that they have to start at the designated hitter. Still, there are sports executives with their jobs concerned – who would say the next Mets owner wouldn’t want to put someone new in GM’s office? – want the season as long as possible to not only tell the truth about the quality of the team but also to provide executive space to maneuver. This seems like the wrong year for it.

5. Bill Marriott

The two-month regular season, in contrast to the 82 calendar matches that makes the most sense, means a month less trips for clubs and less money to be infused into hotels (OK, some teams stay at Marriotts now, but you get the idea), airlines, restaurants and the like. It will only represent the baseball case which does not act like the social institution it adopts. Which is the reality that we’re all getting used to, right?