MLB and the league’s player union held negotiations this week, days after a contentious series of statements between the league and union indicated the 2020 season is in peril.
The league and players are working on a plan to begin the 2020 season after it was postponed by the spread of the coronavirus. With most professional sports leagues coming back this summer, MLB has yet to formalize a plan for resumption.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that a new set of proposals have been forwarded to the players.
The tone from Manfred on Wednesday differed from earlier in the week.
“We left that meeting with a jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement and subject to conversations with our respective constituents,” Manfred said. “I summarized that framework numerous times in the meeting and sent Tony a written summary today. Consistent with our conversations yesterday, I am encouraging the Clubs to move forward and I trust Tony is doing the same.”
Earlier on Wednesday, reports surfaced that the league and players have finalized a deal, but those reports appeared to be premature as the MLBPA said that no agreement has been made.
At odds is the number of games to be played, and whether players will be paid a full prorated amount for those games. MLB said that based on an agreement between the leagues and players days after the league suspended Spring Training, players would only be paid a full prorated salary if games were held in front of fans. As of now, the likelihood of MLB games being played in front of fans this season appears to be low.
The players union has complained that the league is attempting to play the fewest number of games possible.
“The commissioner has repeatedly threatened to schedule a dramatically shortened season unless players agree to hundreds of millions in further concessions,” the MLBPA said on June 13. “Our response has been consistent that such concessions are unwarranted, would be fundamentally unfair to players, and that our sport deserves the fullest 2020 season possible.”
