Baseball in 2020?

The Atlanta Braves were scheduled to open their season on March 26th against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nearly three months later, that game still hasn’t been played.

In mid-March, the novel coronavirus brought an abrupt halt to spring training and postponed the 2020 MLB season indefinitely. The road to baseball’s potential return has been nothing short of rocky.

Possible Scenarios

Reports initially surfaced in early April of a return to play scenario. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the league was discussing playing the entirety of the season in Arizona at the Diamondbacks’ facility. In this scenario, players would be sequestered from their families.

A few weeks later, NBC Sports Washington reported another option.The league would create three geography-based divisions, and teams within said divisions would only play one another. In this case, teams would play in their home stadiums without fans.

Both options fell through, but early May saw a consensus among team owners of an 82 game season, according to forthewin.com. May 26th, the MLB dropped its first economic proposal to players, and complications began.

MLB proposed cuts to the highest-paid players in baseball in its first economic proposal to the players Tuesday. Players in turn bristled at the proposal. There is a significant gap between what the league offered and what the players want. News at ESPN: https://t.co/1ZUgA01MNU

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 26, 2020

The Negotiations

The first proposal outlined major pay cuts. Baseball’s biggest names lost the most, as the cuts occurred on a sliding scale. Passan reported that Los Angeles pitcher Mike Trout, who would make around $19 million in an 82 game season, would have a base salary of $5 million. In addition to being unhappy with the financial nature of the proposal, players also disagreed with the health protocols the League recommended.

Players responded by submitting a proposal of their own. Under their terms, players would receive $100 million in an advance payment and high risk players would be allowed to opt out, according to Passan.

News at @espn: The players’ return-to-play proposal is here, and it includes 114 games, potential deferrals and the ability for players to opt-out of a season. While the league is certain to reject it, does it open the door enough to find a path to a deal? https://t.co/gScoq7Bfe3

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020

Their counter was rejected, and a back and forth has since ensued which has led many to doubt whether baseball will occur in 2020. Passan wrote in a June 15th article that the fallout from these debates could poison the sport for years.

The Latest

On Sunday, June 21, MLB commissioner Rob Manifred offered to cancel expanded playoffs and remove the universal designated hitter for next year in the event a full 2020 season isn’t played. The MLBPA has yet to respond to the commissioner’s proposal.