MLB 2020 season update: Where things stand with owners set to make new economic

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) are in negotiations concerning a return-to-play plan for the 2020 season, and an agreement could come this week. MLB was supposed to hold Opening Day two months ago, but the spread of COVID-19 forced the league to suspend operations in the middle of spring training on March 12. Now the league and the Players Association are trying to come to an agreement for a shortened season, a process that began in early May.

That condensed campaign would likely start in July, have an expanded playoff format and feature a long list of safety protocols for both MLB players and team personnel. Here are some notable components of the proposal approved by team owners and sent to the players union:

• 82-game regional schedule and universal DH
• 30-man active rosters with a 20-player taxi squad
• 14 teams in the postseason with games played in home cities in October
• 50/50 revenue split for players and owners

As the talks continue and more information becomes public, we’ve opted to construct a timeline of consequential news and events surrounding these talks. Below you’ll find all you need to know about the state of the negotiations, and how they got there.

May 24: Players reportedly expected to make counter offer

While the MLBPA waits for the owners’ next proposal, Chuck Garfien of NBC Sports Chicago reports that players are expected to offer to defer some of the salary owed them in 2020 until later years. Doing so would provide teams some of the financial relief that they seek in these negotiations and is another signal that neither side is yet entrenched in current negotiating positions. 

Meantime, Charles Gasparino of Fox Business News tweets that MLB owners have scheduled a Tuesday meeting with commissioner Rob Manfred at 1 p.m. ET in advance of presenting their second proposal to players. 

May 22: MLB to present new economic proposal on Tuesday

Players not surprisingly were unimpressed the the owners’ opening offer that entailed further cutting salaries in response to the likelihood that fans will not be in attendance for at least part of the year. Players have already agreed to pro-rate their salaries based on the number of games played, but MLB is looking for further concessions. 

On that front, source tells Evan Drellich of The Athletic that owners will present players with a revised economic proposal on Tuesday. Presumably, owners will move off their original proposal, but the extent to which they do will of course determine whether this latest offer leads directly to an agreement. Teams will need at least two or three weeks to prepare for an early July start to the season, so the window of negotiation isn’t a wide one. Some forward momentum toward a deal is needed, and this second proposal could be just that.

While matters such as the structure of the season and the safety measures that will be put into place must also be…