According to Tim Brown of Yahoo SportsMajor League Baseball has made a new proposal to the MLB Players Association regarding the 2021 season and the ongoing battle to control the spread of COVID-19 and provide players and staff with a safe environment to return to work.
Per Brown, on Friday, the league “proposed to the union a program of 154 games with full pay, delayed by a month and extended by a week”, adding that the proposed issue was previously discussed about the extended game in the post-season.
The union would have pondered the offer.
Last week, the Arizona Cactus League sent a letter to MLB expressing concerns about a visible increase in COVID cases across the region and coinciding with the start of spring training camps in Arizona in mid-February and recommending a delay in opening of camps.
The letter – allegedly procured by MLB itself (Alex Coffey, Athletics), in an attempt to postpone the season until fans can safely participate, in turn, revenue growth – it was greeted with hesitation from MLBPA regarding the league’s inability to make these calls unilaterally, also stating, “MLB has repeatedly assured us that it has trained its teams to be prepared for a timely start.”
Between secure scheduling and the still undecided fate of universally designated drummer, much remains to be kept before the pitchers and catchers are ready to show up for spring training.
We will keep you posted.
