A call is expected to be held on Monday between Major League Baseball and its team owners to discuss the idea of re-engaging in negotiations with the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA), according to a report by Fox Business’ Charles Gasparino.
The sides have yet to find a resolution on a proper compensation format that also seems to be affecting the potential length of MLB’s truncated regular season, whose Opening Day was postponed after the coronavirus outbreak.
The largest point of contention between the sides is how the players will be paid this season.
Shortly after spring training was canceled and the regular season indefinitely halted, the owners and players agreed on prorated salaries, which has players compensated based on the number of games they play.
But a hiatus that is now in its third month — and play won’t come back until at least July as a best-case scenario — has seen the owners balk on that notion throughout as they proposed multiple salary-cut scenarios to make up for their expected losses that will come with games being played in empty stadiums.
Remaining steadfast on their desired prorated salaries, the players countered MLB’s ensuing 50-game proposal with prorated salaries with a 114-game season under the same financial format. That was quickly turned down by the owners.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the league would not counter the union’s proposal, meaning that negotiations had stopped — casting major doubts on baseball being played at all in 2020.
