Diamondbacks Owner Says MLB Has One Big Dealbreaker for 2020 Season Timeline

On Sunday, the MLB Players Association revealed a 114-game proposal for the upcoming season. Shortly after that announcement, reports indicated that some owners said there was effectively no progress in said negotiations. One who shares that sentiment? Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

While speaking with 98.7 Arizona Sports' "Burns & Gambo" radio show on Tuesday, Kendrick revealed that the MLB won't approve of any plan that includes baseball played in November.

Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick told @BurnsAndGambo the league will not approve any plan with baseball in November — including the union’s 114-game plan with a regular season that ends Oct. 31. The March agreement offered “the possibility” of games beyond normal schedule. pic.twitter.com/QSnxmvix1y
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 2, 2020

Kendrick called the 114-game season, which would supposedly end on Oct. 31, a non-starter, additionally insisting this had nothing to do with the ongoing financial strife between the owners and players' union. Rather, Kendrick shares the fear suggested by various public health experts that there could be a second wave of COVID-19 in the winter. Even though the MLBPA says the 114-game campaign would end on Halloween, Kendrick expressed his belief that it likely wouldn't actually end until some time in December due to inevitable challenges.

However, Kendrick did touch on the looming financial implications of a 2020 season without fans in attendance. The D-Backs owner says that every team is set to lose approximately $50 million this year, and they would stand to save money by not having a season at all. Even so, Kendrick is willing to take the hit in order to help the country heal with real, live baseball games during this ongoing pandemic.

#Dbacks owner Ken Kendrick joined @BurnsAndGambo and discussed the negotiations between MLB and the players association. https://t.co/nopd2QIf6a
— 98.7 Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 2, 2020

MLB did offer a counterproposal to the union on Monday. As opposed to the 114-games, the league and owners presented a 50-game plan, where every player would be paid their full prorated share of their salaries over that span.

Negotiations are set to continue in the coming days, but you can guarantee that any plan with November baseball will be shot down vehemently by the owners.