Complete Lack of MLBPA Counter-Proposal This Week Does Not Bode Well for July 4 Return

The latest news surrounding the 2020 MLB season has all been bad: the players were not happy at all with the most recent proposal sent over by owners (rightfully so), and planned to rage and regroup this week.

The players were expected to make a counter-proposal with their own terms that theoretically wouldn't include 75% pay cuts. That apparently never happened this week, though, and fans are left wondering if there will even be a season.

There were no economic proposals exchanged today between the players union and MLB. The last proposal was the sliding scale proposal submitted by MLB on Tuesday that the union called ‘very disappointing.’
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 29, 2020

So, is there a plan? The players had the week to send over a proposal, and June 1 arrives on Monday. Time is ticking, and if the goal is to play a season over 82 games (or even more games, as we recently heard the players preferred), the total lack of a new proposal makes a July 4 start date start to seem difficult to reach.

The players will need at least three to four weeks to get back into shape after the long layoff.

It's not like either side is going to rush into a bad deal, but the MLBPA going into next week for a response will likely impact MLB resumption.

These two sides are way apart, and Spring Training 2 was tentatively scheduled for June 10. https://t.co/e9t5n9gR62
— Ted (@tlschwerz) May 29, 2020

This is disappointing news, and Major League Baseball is in danger of permanently damaging its reputation if the fight over money continues. The NBA and NHL have plans in place to return, yet a summer sport can't agree on money. Regardless of what side one takes, this latest update is not a good one.