Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred guaranteed there will be a 2020 MLB season no matter what. If the league and the MLB Players Association can’t agree to a deal, though, there will be players who sit out the entire season during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As MLB owners have fought with the MLBPA over the level of pay cuts players will receive, while also requiring them to sign a risk waiver, many in baseball fear that the league is headed for a worst-case scenario. If both sides can’t agree to a deal, with little sign of promise from recent negotiations, there will be players who sit out the 2020 MLB season.
In fact, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, one owner has already heard from several of his team’s players that they will sit out if Manfred imposes a shortened season. Even knowing they would forfeit their salary and lose a year of service time, which counts towards becoming a free agent, players are still willing not to take the field.
Players across MLB have made it clear they want baseball to return, a sentiment that reportedly isn’t shared by every team owner. With only a few days remaining before Manfred imposes a shortened season, potentially fewer than 60 games, the MLBPA is still fighting with the league over safety concerns and salary.
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Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Matt Johnson | Last updated 6/11/20
