MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) are still negotiating and inching closer towards a deal to play baseball in 2020, after months of negotiations. The union executive committee will likely vote Sunday on the league’s latest 60-game proposal, and a resolution, for better or worse, is expected to come soon. The odds of seeing the New York Mets take the field this year have gone up in the last few days.
The Mets will pay minor leaguers at least through the whole month of August, according to a report from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
The reason why game action is currently suspended is because of the coronavirus outbreak, one that is still going on strong in the United States of America and that prompted MLB to close all spring training facilities in the last few hours after a couple of franchises reported positive cases among players and staffers.
The league was supposed to start on March 26, but COVID-19 threw that plan to the trash. And while the Major League season could start as soon as next month, it is highly unlikely that minor league ball will be played this year.
The Mets came through
That affects the New York Mets, and the team recently released 39 minor leaguers. Some clubs have announced that they will players that are not in the 40-man roster through their weekly $400 stipend for the duration of the MiLB season, others through June and others are not paying them anymore.
Despite the fact that the Mets got rid of nearly 40 players late last month, it is nice to see the team’s effort in keeping those in the roster happy and provided.
For now, the league and the MLBPA are still talking about payment, number of games and prorated salary, while coronavirus keeps killing people around the country. It remains to be seen which position the league takes regarding mass testing and path to follow in case a player contracts the virus during a hypothetical season.