There has seemingly been nothing but pessimism over the past several weeks regarding the 2020 MLB season, but some good news finally surfaced on Wednesday.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark had a face-to-face meeting in Arizona on Wednesday that has been described as “productive.”
Breaking: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and players union chief Tony Clark had what’s being called a productive meeting face to face in Arizona. Meeting was called at Manfred’s request
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 17, 2020
Negotiations between MLB and the players’ union reached a boiling point earlier this week, when Manfred did a complete 180-degree turn from his previous stance and said he is not confident there will be baseball this season. That led to another strong response from the MLBPA, and some of the league’s biggest stars have come forward and urged the two sides to work something out.
MLB and the MLBPA agreed back in March to a shortened season with full prorated salaries for players. That deal gave Manfred the power to launch the season and dictate how many games it will be. Trevor Bauer and others believe Manfred is using stall tactics to benefit the owners, as owners want fewer regular season games and players want as many as possible.
While there is likely a long way to go, any meeting between MLB and the MLBPA that is described as “productive” is a positive sign. The two sides could finally be ready to put their differences aside, otherwise everyone involved is going to risk losing an astronomical amount of money.
