|
The vote to reject the proposal by the MLB
Players Association sub-committee allows MLB Commissioner Rob
Manfred to intervene and set a schedule of his choosing under
terms of a March agreement between the two sides.
"In view of this rejection, the MLB clubs have unanimously voted
to proceed with the 2020 season under the terms of the March
26th agreement," MLB said in a statement.
To produce a schedule with a specific number of games MLB said
it needed confirmation from the union by 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) on
Tuesday that players can report by July 1 and agree on the
safety and health protocols in their operating manual.
MLB was scheduled to open its 162-game regular season in late
March but delayed the campaign due to the pandemic.
MLB and the players' union have been trying to find common
ground on a return-to-play plan but are unable agree on areas
like player compensation and the number of games.
Manfred said two weeks ago he was "100%" sure there would be a
2020 season but dramatically shifted his tone last Monday and
said he was "not confident" a campaign would happen after the
union broke off talks.
MLBPA said in a statement the board had reaffirmed players'
eagerness to return to work as soon and as safely as possible.
"To that end, we anticipate finalizing a comprehensive set of
health and safety protocols with Major League Baseball in the
coming days, and we await word from the league on the resumption
of spring training camps and a proposed 2020 schedule."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Ken
Ferris/Peter Rutherford)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
