The 2020 Major League Baseball season was disrupted this past March as coronavirus (COVID-19) cases skyrocketed across the country. The final two weeks of Spring Training were cancelled and the start of the regular season was indefinitely postponed as a result.
Opening Day, originally scheduled for March 26, would not take place until July 23. In the months between, MLB and the Players Association attempted to hammer out agreements on the specifics of the season, which included health and safety protocols and an economic plan.
The former was jointly established, but the latter never came to fruition. Team owners insisted that players take further pay cuts due to the likelihood fans would not be permitted to attend any games during the 2020 season.
The union did not budge and turned down all of MLB’s proposals, prompting commissioner Rob Manfred to unilaterally impose a 60-game season. Players hoped for more games, but team owners would not approve unless they accepted less than a full prorated salary.
Because an agreement wasn’t reached, the MLBPA retained the right to file a grievance this offseason. According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, they plan to do as such, claiming the league did not make its best efforts to play as many games as possible:
At some point this offseason, and perhaps soon, the union is expected to file a grievance over the league’s scheduling of a 60-game season in 2020, on the allegation that MLB did not make its best efforts to play as many games as possible. MLB was obligated to do so per a deal between the two sides from the spring called “the March agreement.”
Before Manfred implemented a 60-game schedule, players made a last-ditch effort for 70 games. Not only would MLB reject that offer, but they also opted against presenting a counterproposal.
While players did not get the length of schedule they wanted, not all was lost. The 2020 campaign came with an expanded postseason, which benefitted both sides from a financial standpoint.
Dodgers expected to be among big spenders this offseason
With virtually every team taking financial losses during the 2020 season, free agency is expected to be as unpredictable as ever.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, however, are said to be among the handful of teams that will be big spenders this offseason.
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