Wednesday has been a whirlwind day around the baseball world. It started with reports that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred met with MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark.
Shortly after said meeting, reports suggested that the two sides were nearing a deal to start the 2020 season. While this could still be the case, there’s now skepticism from some unnamed players.
MLB players push back against idea that an agreement will soon be in place
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, some unnamed players believe that Wednesday’s news is nothing more than MLB sending a proposal over to the union.
Based on comments from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred earlier in the day, there’s certainly still a split between the two sides.
The agreement back in March that gave Manfred an ability to force players back on to the field for a 50-game season could very well come into play here. Of course, that’s all dependent on what’s happening behind the scenes.
MLB’s latest offer includes a 60-to-65 game slate with players receiving 100% of their prorated salaries.
What does this mean for the 2020 MLB season?
It can be said that the two sides are closer now than they were Wednesday morning. They are certainly closer than when MLBPA turned down the league’s previous offer over the weekend.
Based on what we’re hearing from MLB, it would take a whole heck of a lot for things to break down at this point.
Public sentiment is squarely against both sides fighting over finances during the ongoing pandemic and amid the global economic downturn. Falling back from previous reports that an agreement was imminent would be a terrible look.