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MLB Latest: How will MLB handle player safety?
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The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) informed the league on Tuesday that players will comply with the league-mandated scheme for a 2020 season. Players will perform for another version of the “spring” training on July 1, and The league-imposed 60-game season will begin on July 24, Jim Bowden of CBS Sports headquarters reported Tuesday. The two sides are still working to finalize health and safety protocols, according to Bowden, and there has been no official league announcement yet.
MLB owners voted unanimously Monday night for Commissioner Rob Manfred to impose a season. In a statement, Manfred had requested Monday night that players respond before 5 p.m. ET so that the league could proceed with that imposed season’s scheduling.
The league and players failed to reach a modified deal for a 2020 season after weeks of negotiations. Those conversations stalled regarding the length of the season and the financial compensation players would receive. The union’s ability to file a complaint against the league, which could result in substantial cash windfall, also became a matter of importance later in the talks.
The league is expected to finish its regular season by the end of September and its postseason, which will feature its usual 10 teams, by the end of October.
Originally, the league had submitted a 67-page proposal that outlined all of the security protocols and tests that would be installed this season. Little else had leaked about the negotiations on those regulations, though it was suggested that the two sides be closer to normal, with the league inclined to players’ requests for greater access to medical and training equipment.
It is worth noting that 40 MLB players and staff members reported positive results for the new coronavirus in recent days. MLB has reportedly ordered that all spring training sites be closed and disinfected, and staff must test negative for COVID-19 before being allowed to return.
MLB was supposed to launch its regular season on March 26. The spread of COVID-19 forced the league to halt those plans about two weeks earlier.
