Ken Rosenthal and other sources have reported that the MLB owners have approved a proposal for the 2020 season. Now, the proposal will move to the players association on Tuesday for voting and final negotiating.
Included in the plan will be around 82-regular season games with an expanded postseason and a universal DH. All parties will be taking pay-cuts, from players to executives to even umpires. Teams will likely be playing in 10-team divisions, and only play division rivals during the regular season. All games would be played in home stadiums, if safe to do so.
With an 82 game season, that still lines the postseason up for October. The plan for right now would be to play those games at home stadiums, but weather and the second wave of coronavirus could change that. Some people are worried that the postseason could be postponed from a second wave. Joel Sherman said that there are possible concerns about TV ratings with other sports returning.
The big day
Tuesday seems to be the big day. The day that we have been waiting for months. The plan will be moving into the players association for voting, and if players vote yes, then the season will be on. But right now, we have no idea how players will react.
From what it sounds like, players will be able to live at home and see their families, so that’s a good thing. That was one of the concerns from early on. If anything, players may have more time to see family with less extensive travel. But right now, the concern seems to be whether everyone will follow social distancing guidelines. That could concern some players, and they could also be nervous about possibly infecting coaches and support staff that are a part of the vulnerable population.
Also, players may have issues with how they are getting paid. That seems to be negotiable on Tuesday, but as of right now, players could see as much as a 50% pay-cut.
In my personal opinion, I think most players will approve the plan. I think some will be unhappy with parts of it, but the majority of players will vote yes on the plan. Again, just my opinion.
We’ll see what happens, but let’s hope and pray they vote yes.