In what was essentially the bottom of ninth in terms of getting a deal done, MLB and the MLBPA were able to knock one out of the park.
After MLB owners unanimously voted to force a 60-game season on the players after a proposal for a season of the same length was rejected by the MLBPA, the two sides were able to reach an agreement after ironing out their difference with regard to health and safety during 2020.
Jon Heyman of the MLB Network was the first to report the news on Tuesday evening.
Play ball! Hearing owners and players have worked it all out, and there will be baseball.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 24, 2020
With a deal now in place, players will report to training camps by July 1 and play an abbreviated season that will start around July 24 and conclude by September 27, MLB’s cut-off date for the conclusion of the regular season.
“All remaining issues have been resolved and Players are reporting to training camps,” the union tweeted Tuesday night in a message that was also posted in Spanish.
Todos los problemas restantes se han resuelto y los Peloteros se están reportando a los campos de entrenamiento.
— MLBPA en español (@PELOTEROS_MLB) June 24, 2020
The regular season will be followed by a postseason featuring the standard number of teams (10) and players will receive the full prorated share of their salaries — about 37 percent of their standard full-season salaries — for playing ball.
Thanks to the negotiations taking more than three months, MLB will have its shortest campaign since the 1878 National League season.
Regardless, game on.
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
