Major League Baseball’s Players’ Association reportedly has produced a counterproposal to the league’s return-to-play plan.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the proposal includes the following: a 114-game season that ends Oct. 31, the right for players to opt out of the season and potential salary deferrals should the postseason be canceled. Players that opt out that are considered “high risk” would receive their salary while the others would receive service time only.
Passan says the potential postseason deferrals is like an “olive branch” from the players to the league, and “opens the door” to further negotiations.
The MLBPA delivered a proposal to MLB on Sunday afternoon, a source familiar with it tells ESPN. It includes 114-game season that would end October 31, the right to opt out of the season for all players and potential deferral of salaries if 2020 the postseason were canceled.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020
The inclusion of potential deferrals by players is an olive branch, even if it does apply just to a canceled postseason.
It would defer $100M total, applied to players making $10M+ before proration, and would do so with interest to make players whole. It opens the door to more.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020
As Passan noted, this could be the break both sides needed to come to some sort of compromise. Pay has been one of the most contentious parts of negotiating a deal for an abbreviated season due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
We’re sure the league will react relatively soon.
