Major League Baseball’s owners voted to move forward with a 60-game season that will begin around July 24.
The decision was made shortly after the MLB Players Association rejected a 60-game proposal that would have included an expanded postseason.
The new plan will be implemented as long as players sign off on a health-and-safety protocol and pledge to arrive at home stadiums by July 1 to prepare for the season, according to ESPN’s sources.
Here are more details from ESPN:
The league’s owners voted to implement a 60-game season on Monday, hours after the MLB Players Association rejected a 60-game proposal that would have included an expanded postseason and other ancillary salary bumps.
After nearly three months of fruitless negotiations, MLB opted to use the right given to it in the parties’ March 26 agreement to impose a schedule of its desired length. By choosing a season of 60 games, the league will pack in about as many games as it can through Sept. 27, the league’s self-imposed cutoff for the regular season.
Additionally, the 60-game season could serve as a buffer against a grievance by the MLBPA, which in the case of a potential implementation has been expected to charge that the league did not fulfill its duty to complete as full a season as possible. The league could file a grievance against the union as well.
Multiple players told ESPN that they expect to agree to the league’s call to report by July 1 and to its health-and-safety protocol, with executive subcommittee member Andrew Miller telling ESPN, “We are ready to get back on the field.”
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