Reports: MLB Players Association Votes To Reject League’s Latest Offer To Play 60 Games
Jun 22, 2020, 4:51 PM | Updated: Apr 26, 2021, 3:45 pm
A baseball with MLB logo is seen at Citizens Bank Park before a game between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies on June 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Major League Baseball Players Association has rejected the MLB’s proposal to play 60 games.
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According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, MLB can impose a schedule and baseball can start their season. The vote was 33-5 to reject the 60-game offer with expanded playoffs. This positions commissioner Rob Manfred to unilaterally implement a schedule of his choosing which according to Passan will likely be between 50-60 games.
On the flip side, owners can vote to not play the season at all in 2020. It would only take 8 no votes to cancel the season altogether. By rejecting the proposal, the players retain their right to grieve the terms of the March agreement between the players and the owners.
Quick newser at ESPN, which will be updated as more information comes in. The MLBPA has rejected a 60-game season with expanded playoffs and, absent an 11th-hour agreement seen as unlikely, MLB can impose a schedule and baseball will finally have a season: https://t.co/jfLSUO5Mbg
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 22, 2020
The Players’ Association said that discussion with the league has nothing to do with their pay. The union initially elected to delay its vote on the league’s latest proposal in order to collect new data regarding testing for COVID-19 after several recent outbreaks at training facilities in Florida and Arizona along with other major league cities.
All MLB training camps have been temporarily closed after multiple teams reported positive tests on Friday. The league announced on Saturday that a restart of spring training would only occur in team’s home cities.
