This is not going too swell for either side. Proposal after proposal from both MLB and its players have fallen on deaf ears since the start of the 2020 season was suspended back in March.
MLBPA rejects MLB’s latest offer and is done negotiating
Union head Tony Clark released a statement announcing its decision to reject the league’s latest offer. It was the strongest-worded statement by either side and calls for an end of negotiations.
This certainly does seem to be the union’s way of daring MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to exercise his ability to force players back on the diamond for what would be a 50-game regular season. It’s not yet known whether the union will counter offer, but that doesn’t look good at this point.
2020 MLB season now obviously in question
Clark’s statement could very well suggest that the season won’t be played at all. The league’s most-recent proposal called for a 70-plus game season with players receiving 70% of their prorated pay. That would amount to less than 40% of their normal annual pay.
This all comes after reports suggest that MLB has come to terms on a $1 billion deal with Turner Sports for the latter to continue broadcasting its postseason games. It’s clear that the union is fed up with the league crying poor.