NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball players proposed a 70-game regular-season schedule Thursday, leaving them and management 10 games and about $275 million apart on plans…
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball players proposed a 70-game regular-season schedule Thursday, a plan immediately rejected by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred with the sides 10 games and about $275 million apart on plans to start the coronavirus-delayed season.
As part of the union proposal, players would wear advertisement patches on their uniforms during all games for the first time in major league history.
“This need to be over,” Manfred said. “Until I speak with owners, I can’t give you a firm deadline.”
While the gap has narrowed, both sides remain opposed to additional concessions and the path toward an agreement remains uncertain and difficult.
“We delivered to Major League Baseball today a counter-proposal based on a 70-game regular season which, among a number of issues, includes expanded playoffs for both 2020 and 2021,” union head Tony Clark said in a statement. “We believe this offer represents the basis for an agreement on resumption of play.”
After Manfred met with Clark in Arizona, MLB said Wednesday that there was a framework for the season. That plan included a 60-game regular-season schedule that would have $1.48 billion in salaries plus a $25 million players’ postseason pool, people familiar with that proposal told The Associated Press.
“In my discussions with Rob in Arizona we explored a potential pro rata framework, but I made clear repeatedly in that meeting and after it that there were a number of significant issues with what he proposed, in particular the number of games,” Clark said.
