With the status of Major League Baseball everchanging due to the coronavirus pandemic, this article will provide you with the most up-to-date news as it happens. I will update this article when necessary, i.e. when any major news about the 2020 season is released. As of June 22nd, 2020, here is what you need to know:
June 22nd, 2020:
We will have baseball in 2020!!!
Play Ball! MLB will play 60-game schedule in 2020, with spring training on July 1 and the season starting July 24-27. https://t.co/MskY8fG0ca
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 23, 2020
June 15th, 2020:
I hope Manfred is just trying to knock some sense into these players and reach a deal because if not, this season is fucked.
BREAKING: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred tells @Espngreeny that he’s “not confident” there will be a 2020 baseball season. “Unfortunately," Manfred said, "I can’t tell you that I’m a 100% certain that’s gonna happen.”
News at @espn: https://t.co/h1I6Yh5R55
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 15, 2020
June 12th, 2020:
At this point, it’s just a neverending cycle.
Source confirms: MLB proposal to union: 72-game season with players receiving 70 percent of prorated salaries for regular season and 80 percent if posteason is completed. First @BNightengale.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 12, 2020
The union is expected to formally reject the proposal before Sunday's deadline.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 12, 2020
June 9th, 2020:
MLBPA makes a proposal for an 89-game season with full prorated salary and expanded playoffs:
The proposal is for 89 games, not around 89, and is 25 fewer than the union’s last proposal of 114 games at full pro rata, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 9, 2020
June 3rd, 2020:
A 50-game season is looking more likely, as MLB has rejected MLBPA’s 114-game season proposal.
MLB rejected the union’s proposal for a 114-game season and said it would not send a counter, sources tell The Athletic. The league said it has started talks with owners about playing a shorter season without fans, and that it is ready to discuss additional ideas with the union.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 3, 2020
June 1st, 2020:
MLB is highly considering 50-game schedule with full prorated salaries:
The potential season Major League Baseball envisions would run somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 regular-season games, sources told ESPN. The exact number is being considered, but the aim would be to return in July. It would be less than half of players’ proposed season length.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020
May 31, 2020:
- The MLBPA proposes a 114-game season, ending October 31st. See below for the full story:
For the players opting out: those who are considered "high-risk" would receive salary, whereas others would receive service time only.
Further, players would receive $100 million total advance during the new spring training.
Also: MLBPA proposes two years of playoff expansion.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020
The inclusion of potential deferrals by players is an olive branch, even if it does apply just to a canceled postseason.
It would defer $100M total, applied to players making $10M+ before proration, and would do so with interest to make players whole. It opens the door to more.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020
May 28, 2020:
- While in negotiations with the MLBPA, MLB released the following plan for salary cuts for the 2020 season:
Seen another way: 82-game prorated salaries vs. MLB's proposal
Full Proposal
prorated$285K $262K
$506K $434K
$1.01M $736K
$2.53M $1.64M
$5.06M $2.95M
$7.59M $4.05M
$10.1M $5.15M
$12.7M $6.05M
$15.2M $6.95M
$17.7M $7.84M— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 26, 2020
- As you can see, MLB owners really don’t want to pay their players, and they are offering them pennies on the dollar in exchange for playing this year. In response, Nationals star pitcher Max Scherzer posted the following on Twitter on behalf of the MLBPA:
— Max Scherzer (@Max_Scherzer) May 28, 2020
It’s pretty clear that the overwhelming majority of MLB players considered MLB’s proposal a slap in the face and are not willing to even entertain that offer. Of course, it’s worth noting that the guys who are more than likely calling the shots on behalf of the players are the ones with multi-million dollar contracts. The up-and-coming players (not as rich) would probably be more willing to work with MLB here because they want that big-league exposure (assuming rosters sizes are increased) and their salaries won’t be diminished, relatively speaking, compared to guys like Scherzer.
- Following up with Scherzer’s tweet, the MLBPA is looking to counter MLB’s proposal and ask for a 100+ games and full prorated salaries (refer to above tweet for salary reference):
News at ESPN: Players want a season of 100+ games, full prorated salaries and a look at specific documents to better understand MLB's finances. The MLBPA's forthcoming proposal may simply ignore MLB's economic proposal. Here is where it leaves baseball: https://t.co/9C7vPR1YmN
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 28, 2020
- Unwilling to pay players, who might’ve been cut at the end of spring training regardless, their stipend of $400/week, Minor League Baseball cut hundreds of players on May 28. That number is expected to surpass 1,000 in the coming days and just shows how much of a toll the coronavirus pandemic has had on baseball as a whole. From a business perspective, it makes sense to “trim the fat”, but it’s still unfortunate to see that guys who were still chasing their dream and rely on their MiLB salary for their main source of income are now apart of the millions of unemployed Americans. Although, they might make more on unemployment than they did playing for MiLB.