Major League Baseball owners have approved a proposal that would get teams back on the field starting in July to play an 82-game schedule. Now, it’s up to MLB’s players to step up to the plate and approve the plan.
On Tuesday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will present the players with a proposal calling for spring training to resume for two to three weeks starting in mid-June.
Following that period, teams would return to the field to play games at home stadiums in the league against teams in their division and interleague opponents in their immediate geographic area. For example, AL East teams would only play other divisional foes and teams in the NL East. All games, even those in National League ballparks, would have a designated hitter.
To help generate additional revenue, the playoff field would be expanded from 10 teams to 14 by adding two additional wild cards in each league. For any of these activities, be it spring training or actual games, fans would not be admitted or allowed.
In order for the plan to go into action, the MLB Players Association will have to approve it. That is not going to be an easy task, as MLB is going to ask for players to agree to have their salaries for this season based on the percentage of revenue generated by the sport. For the MLBPA, that type of an ask is a “non-starter,” according to The Athletic.
“The players already have agreed to a pay cut, prorating their salaries on a per-game basis as part of a March agreement with the league,” according to the publication. “But the league wants to revisit player compensation, saying it will lose too much money by playing games without fans — a belief that is not shared by the union, particularly when postseason revenue is added to the equation.”
There are also, understandably, lingering fears about whether it will be safe to resume play until a vaccine for COVID-19 has been created. Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle certainly still has concerns about the health implications for players and other MLB employees as well as their families.
Some people telling me to stay home if I don't want to play. We're asking these questions BECAUSE we want to play. We want to restart the season again. We also want everyone it would require to resume a baseball season to be as safe as possible. https://t.co/bvUPVspYjZ
— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) May 12, 2020
Until all these issues are resolved, MLB’s diamonds will remain empty.
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