Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have moved closer to a deal for a 2020 season. Earlier today, Jon Heyman started things off by reporting that the two sides were closing in on an agreement, and although the MLBPA tweeted shortly thereafter that “reports of an agreement are false,” details of a potential agreement have been reported since then.
The difference is that the league has submitted it latest proposal to the players, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred went on the record to say he’s “cautiously optimistic” that it will lead to a deal. The full statement Manfred quotation in the league’s statement reads:
“At my request, Tony Clark and I met for several hours yesterday in Phoenix. We left that meeting with a jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement and subject to conversations with our respective constituents. I summarized that framework numerous times in the meeting and sent Tony a written summary today. Consistent with our conversations yesterday, I am encouraging the Clubs to move forward and I trust Tony is doing the same.”
According to Ken Rosenthal, the specifics of MLB’s proposal call for a 60-game season played over the course of 70 days with full prorated salaries for players, the season starting on July 19 or 20, expanded playoffs in both 2020 and 2021, and the waiving of any potential grievance by the union.