Jon Heyman's 'Wishful Thinking' Would Be an Easy Way for MLB Owners to Get an Actual Win

MLB insider Jon Heyman offered his thoughts Monday on the now months-long dispute between owners and players which has cast a cloud over the 2020 season.

Even though we've heard numbers beginning with "five" floated out in recent days as season-length options (by Heyman!), the MLB insider is now suggesting that the owners offer a compromise in the form of a 70-game schedule and full prorated pay to ease already high tensions, after a day of self-reflection. This is a...great idea?

Heyman's idea, while possibly far-fetched, could help to put the owners get in better standing with fans and players, conceding to some demands in order to prevent even nastier negotiations for the upcoming CBA in 2021.

However, with both sides taking hard-line stances regarding the details of the 2020 season, it's possible that a season in the neighborhood of 50 games may be unilaterally imposed, much to the chagrin of players. A 70-game season with full prorated pay, while not ideal, would be a compromise in favor of the MLBPA's demands that could earn the owners an easy win.

While the owners have consistently argued against the financial viability of holding a lengthy season without fans, this may be their only remaining option. Public opinion largely sides with the players, as owners have appeared greedy by trying to further reduce salaries through sliding-scale pay cuts, causing players to suffer the brunt of the financial consequences.

Suddenly creating this type of offer out of thin air could also be seen as an underhanded move by the owners, though. Such a late concession after months of brutal negotiations would likely be seen a thinly-veiled attempt to sway public opinion and paint the MLBPA in a negative light. If they knew they could afford such a season the whole time, why wouldn't they have simply informed the players? Surely, Heyman knows this.

Regardless, it appears that baseball will resume at some point in the near future. The MLBPA, fed up with arguing, has called for the season to begin, and commissioner Rob Manfred has assured fans that baseball will be played this year.

Heyman's "wishful thinking" is likely nothing more than that, as middle ground has been hard to find throughout this labor dispute. However, by making a few concessions in the short-term, MLB owners could earn some negotiating power in the long-term, using a willingness to compromise in 2020 as a bargaining chip in 2021's CBA talks.