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MLB News and Notes: Proposal Onto Players

We are approaching the two-month mark since the Major League Baseball season was supposed to start. Still, as we stand here in the middle of May, an immediate return to baseball is not in the cards.

While the return might not be immediate, there has been progress towards a return to baseball this past week. Let’s take a look at some of the details as well as other news from around the league.

MLB Owners Propose Return To Play Deal To Union

As Major League Baseball eyes a return to play, the league has finalized a proposal and has sent it to the Player’s Union for review. While there are significant roadblocks, it at least is a major step towards baseball starting again in the United States.

From here, the players union has reviewed the proposal and is now at the negotiating table with the league. While it is a start, there are certainly things that the players are not content with in the proposal.

For instance, one of the major concerns is simply the health of the players. There is still a lot of uncertainty as to whether there will be a surge of the virus at any point, and the players want to know how the league intends to protect them.

Also, another major hurdle will be in the players’ salaries. After already agreeing to pro-rated deals for the season, the owners appear to be wanting a further reduction and have instead offered the idea of revenue sharing.

With the likelihood that fans will not be allowed in, owners are concerned about what financial ramifications they will have to endure and would prefer to save money in the form of salaries, a proposition that players are likely to balk at.

Still, there are some things that both sides seem to be on the same page on. If they return to play, there would more than likely be a universal designated hitter in both the AL and NL. Furthermore, the timetable would likely be for a mid-June resumption of Spring Training (albeit significantly shortened) with the league to start regular season play in July.

There are also reports that the postseason will expand to 14 teams from 10 as well as a schedule that would likely see teams only play within their own division and the corresponding one from the other league (i.e., the NL Central teams would also play the AL Central teams with the goal being to reduce travel).

Overall, it is at least a small step and a sign that both sides are getting serious about resuming play. The only concern is that the negotiations could become contentious, something that MLB desperately wants to avoid, especially knowing that the current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire at the end of 2021. Needless to say, how this plays out could have big implications for future talks.

World Baseball Classic Pushed Back Two Years

While MLB hopes to resume, another form of baseball is being delayed. The World Baseball Classic has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for March of 2021, but will instead be played in March of 2023 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The tournament was expected to be played in the United States, Japan, and Taiwan, featuring 20 teams in total. The United States won the last tournament back in 2017 but will have to wait to defend their title.

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