Major League Baseball proposed a 154-game regular season for 2021 to the MLBPA over the weekend, but the union announced that it has rejected the offer. MLB’s offer would have meant delaying the start of spring training and the season by about a month because of COVID-19 concerns, although the players would have received full pay.
In explaining why it turned down MLB’s plan, the union said, “Although Player salaries would not be initially prorated to a 154-game regular season, MLB’s proposal offers no salary or service time protections in the event of further delays, interruptions, or cancellation of the season.”
MLB did offer to remove language that could have allowed commissioner Rob Manfred to cancel or postpone the season, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports. An expanded postseason “presumably” was on the table, too, per Brown, although Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported earlier Monday that the players have not been in favor of that.
The players are continuing to gear up for a full season in 2021, although it doesn’t seem to bode well that they and the league continue to remain apart on key issues. The two sides have had a contentious relationship over the past couple of years, and with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire in December, a work stoppage looks all the more realistic.
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