Major League Baseball and its players worked closely and swiftly to hash out what a shortened 2020 season might look like after the start of the campaign was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Players approved a deal proposed by owners on Thursday that called for the 2020 season to be reshaped to an extent. MLB owners followed suit the following day.
What exactly does this mean?
- If the 2020 season is canceled altogether, vested MLB veterans would earn the same service time as they did in 2019. This means Mookie Betts and other impending free agents would still hit the market next winter.
- Any player who has not made his MLB debut would lose a year of service time. It’s an issue that was brought up during the entire Kris Bryant drama earlier in the year.
- Minor league players will still receive some sort of compensation should their season be canceled. The numerical value is not yet known.
- MLB pledged $170 million to player salaries that it will divide among players in April and May. The hope is that the season can get started in June. But the expectation is that it won’t begin until July, at the earliest.
It’s great to see these two sides come together and do what’s best for everyone involved. At a time of national emergency, it’s something other entities around the United States could use as an example.