In a wild turn of events, it’s very likely that the 2020 Major League Baseball season will not happen. League Commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN that he is “not confident” that there will be a 2020 season.
“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’m a 100% certain that’s gonna happen,” said Manfred. This comes after he promised that there will be a baseball season in some capacity during Wednesday’s MLB draft.
The league sent the Players Association a letter today saying that unless the MLBPA waives potential grievances, then there won’t be a season, reported Bill Shaikin.
Throughout the entire pandemic, and especially the past week, players have told the league that they are ready to go. “Just tell us when and where,” said many players.
All of this comes after a long money struggle between the players and owners. The players have requested prorated salaries all along, while the owners have been very reluctant to pay them. Owners wanted to pay the players significantly less than prorated salaries.
The players have stood firm on prorated salaries and made the owners be more reasonable with their offers. They don’t care about how long the season is, they just want to make sure they have their prorated salaries.
And it isn’t like the owners can’t afford the salaries. The billionaire owners would only undergo a one year revenue loss, and it’s something that could be made up in 2021 once fans return to the stands.
This is certainly disappointing for baseball, and hopefully it’s something that can be worked out. While the news of the likely cancelation is currently unofficial, things sure seem to be heading that way.