Marco Rubio Just Called Rob Manfred to Get an MLB Season Scoop and We're Very Confused
By Michael Luciano
We have a new player in the extremely competitive marketplace of MLB breaking news. Surprisingly, the newest entrant is...the Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee?
Florida Senator Marco Rubio claims that he just got off the phone with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. On the same day when Manfred met with MLBPA head Tony Clark and reports surfaced that suggested a new proposal for the 2020 MLB season is on the table, Rubio claimed that he is "cautiously optimistic" that there will be an MLB season "very soon."
Just spoke with @MLB Commissioner
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 17, 2020
America really needs some unifying common experiences right now,not to distract us from our challenges,but to remind us of the things we have in common
Baseball can help fill that void & I am cautiously optimistic we will #playball very soon
It does seem odd that Manfred is taking calls from random political figures at a time like this, but that's not even that strange considering what the last few weeks have looked like.
Rubio's reporting might actually be pretty accurate, as Ken Rosenthal confirmed that the owners are now willing to play a 60 game season with fully prorated salaries and expanded playoffs in 2020 and 2021. This new proposal is much more pleasing to consider than their old proposals, which were essentially the same deal repackaged in four slightly different ways.
Source: MLB proposal includes:
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 17, 2020
•60 games in 70 days
•Season starting July 19th/20th
•Full Prorated Salary
•Expanded Playoffs in 2020 and 2021
•Waiving of any potential grievance
All Rubio had to do to be successful is be slightly more accurate in his reporting than Heyman and Bob Nightengale, a bar that is getting lower to clear with each passing day.