In the wake of Major League Baseball presenting a proposal that called for a sliding scale of salary cuts for the 2020 regular season, the Players Association made their counter on Sunday as the two sides remain at odds.
At the center of their differing views is a March agreement in which MLB and the MLBPA settled service time and salary matters. However, team owners have maintained language in the deal allowed for new negotiations if the sport faced economic challenges.
With that, MLB has asserted paying prorated salaries for games without fans in attendance would cost teams more losses when compared to just cancelling the season altogether. The Los Angeles Dodgers are said to face a $232 million loss under the current agreement.
Having received a counter-proposal from the union, MLB reportedly is preparing to offer fully paid prorated salaries, but for a season that would range from 50 to 60 games, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan
Jeff just said on SportsCenter the number of games will be 50-60. https://t.co/oCYnqVFbUQ
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) June 1, 2020
Under that pitch, players would receive a third of their salaries for 2020. Owners previously were said to be targeting an 82-game season this year. Considering players countered with scheduling 100 to 114 games, it stands to reason the sides may find middle ground around 80.
MLB reportedly has serious concern over a regular season stretching too deep into the fall as a second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could arise and impact the postseason, when the sport figures to make up on lost revenue.
Although they are at odds over economics, where MLB and the MLBPA agree is on expanding the postseason field and implementing a universal designated hitter.
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