After nearly three months of grueling negotiations on how to restart baseball amid the coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball finally has a plan in place.
As MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred held off on formally implementing a 60-game season, the MLB Players Association told players Tuesday to be ready to report to their teams’ camps July 1 in advance of a July 24 opening day.
The final step in negotiations was an agreement on health and safety protocols regarding COVID-19, which were worked out Tuesday evening.
It’s expected that teams will hold “spring training 2.0” in their home markets rather than their spring training facilities in Florida and Arizona. For the Washington Nationals, that means commencing workouts at Nationals Park in the District next week instead of returning to West Palm Beach, Florida. MLB ordered all spring training facilities to close over the weekend following COVID-19 outbreaks among players who were training mostly in the Tampa area.
The two sides’ original agreement in late March allowed for the commissioner to impose a schedule length of the league’s choosing if a plan otherwise couldn’t be agreed upon. Manfred originally resisted doing so, even saying in a June 15 television interview that he was not confident there’d be a season at all.
In last week’s latest round of offers, the owners offered a 60-game schedule at full prorated salaries. The players countered with 70 games, plus additional benefits that extended into 2021, but the owners would not consider it or make any further counteroffers.
By voting “no” on the proposal, 33 votes to five, the players preserved their ability to file a grievance against the league later on — and they will still play a 60-game schedule this summer.
Some reports have indicated the schedule will be aligned regionally to reduce travel — so the Nationals would only play NL East rivals and the five teams in the AL East, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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