First reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Major League Baseball has rejected the Major League Baseball Players Association’s proposal for a 114-game baseball season and does not intend to send the union a counter-offer.
Major League Baseball made official what was expected since Sunday in formally rejecting the MLB Players Association’s 114-game proposal, sources tell ESPN. MLB is not countering, which brings the possibility of it implementing a 50-game season into play. First: @Ken_Rosenthal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 3, 2020
Instead of playing 114 games and paying players their full prorated salaries, MLB is reportedly hoping for a 48- to 54-game season that would allow owners to pay players less than they had previously agreed.
“MLB would essentially be giving the union a choice of three months worth of games but not at full prorated pay, or two months at a prorated total,” according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Basically, owners are hoping to pay players on a sliding scale that would allow some to get about 47 percent of their original salaries and others to collect less than 23 percent. The union’s offer would leave each player with about 70 percent of their original salary.
A major sticking point has been the issue of how, or if there is a need, to adjust players’ salaries due to games being played with no fans. The failure to agree on that topic has led to the back-and-forth about the length of the season and the corresponding pay for playing.
The sides are far enough apart that Sherman says there is a growing belief that the sides may not reach a deal in time for the season to take place.
“I have heard greater pessimism today from folks on both sides about MLB launching a season than at any point,” Sherman wrote on Twitter. “People who previously thought the sides would find a way, now expressing at least greater doubt (often more than that).”
If the 2020 season does end up going down the tubes, there are a number of potential ramifications for the long-term impact on baseball in the U.S. outlined here.
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