Although the March 26 agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association represented a notable accomplishment for the prospect of a 2020 regular season, it has since gone on to become the source of escalating tension.
Team owners have sought to re-negotiate pay terms with the union, which has remained firm in their position that players receive the full prorated salaries that were agreed to. An exchange of multiple counteroffers didn’t amount to any progress and only further exacerbated the situation.
Upon rejecting the latest proposal over the weekend, the MLBPA instructed owners to simply inform players when and where they could report. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred subsequently said he was no longer fully confident a 2020 season would be played, and he reportedly is hesitant to impose a schedule for fear it would lead to the union filing a grievance.
Amid reports of MLB still preferring to reach a negotiated settlement with the union, Manfred and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark met in person, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Breaking: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and players union chief Tony Clark had what’s being called a productive meeting face to face in Arizona. Meeting was called at Manfred’s request
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 17, 2020
While the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created unprecedented challenges, discussions between the league and union have largely been limited to email exchanges. There was a conference call held two weeks ago, and it was described as ‘contentious.’
Along with being at odds over pay, MLB and the Players Association also have differing views over length of a season. It’s believed owners prefer the neighborhood of 50 to 60 games, while players proposed as many as 114 before trimming it to 89.
How many games are played also impacts when the season ends, which MLB reportedly wants to conclude Sept. 27 so that the postseason would be completed by November due to fears of a second coronavirus wave.
Dr. Anthony Fauci went so far as to suggest the postseason and World Series not be held in October, because of that concern.
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