Blake Snell caught a lot of blowback this week when he went on his Twitch channel and said he wasn’t interested in taking a pay cut to play baseball this year.

“The risk is way the hell higher and the amount of money I’m making is way lower,” said Snell on Wednesday night, resulting in some people showing frustration with the perceived greed of millionaire athletes.

Snell, however, has a supporter in Bryce Harper, who said the following while streaming Fortnite with Phils’ shortstop Bryson Stott:

“He ain’t lying. He’s right. He’s speaking the truth bro. I ain’t mad at him. Somebody’s gotta say it. At least he manned up and said it. Good for him. I love Snell, man. That guy’s a beast, too, one of the best lefties in the game.”

That’s not likely to sit well with the portion of Phillies fans who want to see baseball sooner rather than later. It’s been a hot button issue on social media and the radio, with a lot of griping about the ~30 million Americans who are out of work, while baseball players argue against pay cuts to return to their job, which pays much more than the average nursing or Amazon delivery gig.

The other side sees this as a labor and/or safety issue and is siding with the players in their negotiations with owners, who are looking to reduce salaries beyond the prorated number that was already agreed upon in March.

Harper is entering year number two of a $330 million contract and is set to earn $26 million this year, so he’d still be in very good shape even if taking a hefty cut. That’s not the same for somebody like Rhys Hoskins, who is only set to make $600,000 in 2020. There are a lot of MLB players earning well below the seven-figure mark.

From a larger-scale perspective, it’s more about a matter of principle here. Players already agreed to a reduction, and then owners come back asking for another concession. Looking beyond 2020, this affects labor relations that have historically been rocky. It’s one thing to adjust during “these unprecedented times,” but you also can’t just bend over and take it whenever the owners ask for something else. There has to be some element of bargaining and fairness here, regardless of the unique situation created by the pandemic.