As Major League Baseball and the Players Association begin to feel a squeeze for time as it relates to beginning a 2020 regular season, the sides remain at odds over key aspects in the sport’s quest to return.
Which is considered more important may very well differ player to player, but the union and MLB haven’t yet managed to agree on an economic plan for 2020, nor health and safety protocols in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Generally speaking, MLB and the Players Association have been in constant communication those fronts since the league suspended operations in March. The latest meeting came Tuesday, when the league presented a new financial proposal that called for tiered salaries.
It was met by strong pushback from the Players Association, and though the current focus is on economic matters, the two sides are also on opposite ends of the spectrum for health matters, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press:
In addition to its reaction on the economics, the union said “the sides also remain far apart on health and safety protocols” aimed at starting the pandemic-delayed season around the Fourth of July.
As MLB was revising their economic plan in response to the union making it clear they would not accept a 50-50 revenue split, the league simultaneously was developing a 67-page document that addressed safety concerns.
Among other guidelines, it called for physical distancing, the elimination of high fives, spitting, and showering at stadiums before and after games, and a ban on the use of therapy pools and similar amenities.
Considering how engrained players have become with routines, various nuances of the game and interacting with one another, there understandably were concerns raised over the viability of implementing such sweeping changes.
As MLB and the Players Association work to resolve their differences, general perception is a deadline in early June exists if the league hopes to play 82 games.
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