Latest MLBPA offer to MLB is step in right direction

The MLBPA has made an offer for the 2020 season that’s a small step forward.

This so-called negotiation between MLB and the MLBPA on the terms of a potential 2020 season is taking far too long. Nonetheless, we’re seeing some small amounts of progress, most notably in the latest offer from the players that came to light on Tuesday.

The MLBPA’s latest offer is for an 89-game season with players getting their full prorated salaries. It also provides for expanded playoffs, which the league essentially needs in order to make this work. The proposed season would begin on July 10 and conclude on Oct. 11, with the postseason to follow.

This offer won’t be accepted by MLB, but it’s showing the parties are inching closer to a deal, though they’re doing so at a glacial pace. It comes on the heels of the league’s latest proposal that called for a 76-game season but did not give the players their full prorated salaries.

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The MLBPA is standing firm on its desire for full prorated salaries, while MLB is standing firm on its need to have the regular season finished by Sept. 27. If the regular season were to run longer than that, TV networks would have to reschedule playoff games, and there would be a greater risk of the postseason being interrupted by a second round of COVID-19.

Winning Proposal?

In the interest of getting this thing over with, here’s my take. Since the league has offered a 76-game season and the players are wanting their full prorated salaries and have agreed to an expanded postseason, why not split the difference? Agree to a 76-game season with full prorated salaries. Boom, done.

Of course the two sides won’t do that. They’ll continue to haggle over every last dollar simply because that’s how they operate. Hopefully this doesn’t drag on too much longer so we can finally get down to baseball.