It seems that baseball is back, but not entirely just yet.
The MLB is planning on a season, thankfully, and has now asked the MLBPA if players can report to camp by July 1st, and they have until 5PM today to respond.
Major League Baseball has asked the MLB Players Association if players can report to camp by July 1 and will sign off on health-and-safety protocols. The union has been asked to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
In other words: MLB is planning on a season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 23, 2020
With this new plan for a season, the MLB clubs have voted unanimously to make a season with the terms that they had on March 26th with the players.
Major League Baseball statement: "In view of this rejection, the MLB Clubs have unanimously voted to proceed with the 2020 season under the terms of the March 26th Agreement." pic.twitter.com/mtPsloH6Be
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 23, 2020
This season, the MLB is going to have some changes. There will be…
- A universal DH for two years
- Guaranteed $25 million in playoff pools in 2020
- $33 million in forgiven salary advances that would increase the take-home pay of 61% of Major League players
- Overall earnings for players of 104 percent of prorated salary
- MLB removed expanded postseason in 2021.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that the plan for play would be for teams to play against those in their normal division, and against the teams in their corresponding division in the other league.
Hearing plan stays in place for teams to face teams in usual divisional plus corresponding geographic division in other league to limit travel.
So #Rays would face AL East #BlueJays, #Orioles, #RedSox, #Yankees, plus NL East #Braves, #Marlins, #Mets, #Phillies, #Nationals— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 23, 2020
If this were to be true, the Yankees would be playing against AL East teams and NL East teams.
All we need for baseball to be back is for the players to vote yes on this proposal, and for there to be no problems in the negotiations for the health and safety protocols. There is optimism that the two sides will get it done now.
Baseball will not be back until everything has been signed off on and the MLB and MLBPA come to an actual agreement, and that could still take a while, but hopefully, it happens sooner rather than later.
Baseball could be back very soon.
Featured Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press
