MLB Reportedly Intends to Make Huge Concession to MLBPA in Groundbreaking Offer
By Michael Luciano
For the first time in what seems like forever, one of the two sides hashing out a plan for the 2020 MLB season blinked, which could mean that we could be one step closer to seeing baseball return before the end of the summer.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the owners are now willing to pay players prorated salaries, which was the main asking point from the MLBPA in their negotiations. The schedule for the 2020 season would also follow that of the late March agreement the players have been stuck on.
Major League Baseball intends to propose a shorter season in which they would pay players a full prorated share of their salaries, sources told ESPN. The league believes the late March agreement allows it to set the schedule, and that this would fulfill players’ pro rata desire.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020
During an appearance on SportsCenter, Passan qualified this agreement by saying that the owners are still only willing to go between 50 and 60 games fully prorated, which could be a point of contention for some players.
However, the owners willing to cave to the players demands for a prorated salary, even in a shortened season, shows that the two parties could come together on an agreement at some point before a season becomes logistically impossible.
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
While baseball is still far from being back, the fact that the owners were able to concede in such a significant fashion might have paved a path towards a season in 2020.