ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Major League Baseball Players Association has proposed to MLB owners an 89-game regular season with expanded playoffs for 2020-21 and full prorated salaries. The MLBPA also wants the owners to help set up a $5 million fund that would assist minor leaguers as well as organizations focused on social justice, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. The two sides continue to exchange ideas pertaining to a makeshift 2020 season.
The union proposed a 114-game season at the end of May, which was rejected by the owners. An 89-game season is something of a concession. However, the owners want a shorter regular season because they claim they will lose money for every regular season game played, and because the season has a higher likelihood of being interrupted by a second coronavirus wave if it’s longer. Furthermore, the owners will get the largest share of their money from the playoffs, since none of the games will be played in front of fans.
Earlier this week, the owners proposed a 76-game season with 75 percent prorated salaries. That idea was, literally, laughed at by some players. The owners will likely once again reject the MLBPA’s latest proposal, but we can see some semblance of progress being made towards a middle ground. Time is running out, though, as owners don’t want the season to drag late into autumn. There are only 113 days remaining between now and the end of September, and around 21 of those days will need to be allocated towards a “spring training” to get players back into playing gear.
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Update:
Initial reax from ownership source following players latest proposal: “We’re nowhere.”
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 10, 2020
Question to a management person not directly involved in negotiations, but briefed on them and influential: Did this union offer move the ball at all?
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) June 10, 2020
Response: Zero.
We continue toward a Commish-imposed 50-ish game season with full prorated pay.
The owners don't consider the union's proposal to be moving the ball even a little. "They are not trying," one person on the management side tells me.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) June 10, 2020
