The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) has submitted a counter proposal to league owners, as negotiations about restarting the suspended 2020 season continue.
According to reports, the union is proposing a 114-game regular season that would run from June 30th to 31st October 31st, with all players given the opportunity to opt out of the season and to have their 2020 salaries deferred if the postseason were to be cancelled. MLBPA representatives are also said to have proposed an expanded playoff structure – rising from ten teams to 14 – for 2020 and 2021, and an advance of US$100 million to cover player wages during pre-season training.
Major League Baseball (MLB), which suspended spring training and postponed the start of its planned 162-game regular season in March, is hoping to salvage the 2020 season, but it must first come to an agreement with its union. In March, the two sides agreed on a modified salary structure that included a lump-sum advance of $170 million to cover player wages for April and May, as well as prorated salaries for the remainder of the season. However last month, MLB owners presented the union with a revised economic plan for the 2020 season that included a 50/50 split of revenue and a sliding scale of pay reductions for players.
