Baseball on brink of playing shortened season after impromptu meeting, new MLB offer

Baseball is on the brink of playing a shortened season, following a face-to-face meeting between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark.

According to multiple reports, the players are contemplating a proposed 60-game schedule with games starting July 19 and ending Sept. 27, full prorated pay and expanded playoffs from 10 teams to 16 teams for 2020 and ’21 — if the union is willing to waive potential grievances.

Breaking: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and players union chief Tony Clark had what’s being called a productive meeting face to face in Arizona. Meeting was called at Manfred’s request

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 17, 2020

“At my request, Tony Clark and I met for several hours yesterday in Phoenix,” Manfred said in a statement. “We left that meeting with a jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement and subject to conversations with our respective constituents. I summarized that framework numerous times in the meeting and sent Tony a written summary today.

“Consistent with our conversations yesterday, I am encouraging the Clubs to move forward and I trust Tony is doing the same.”

This ... is promising. pic.twitter.com/paSkycRZuQ

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 17, 2020

The MLBPA responded to an initial report by MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, who first broke news of the meeting, with the following tweet: “Reports of an agreement are false.”

Despite that disagreement, the sides appeared closer than they were this weekend when negotiations reached an impasse. After declaring before the MLB Draft last Wednesday that there would “unequivocally” be baseball this summer, Manfred backpedalled by telling ESPN on Monday that he was “not confident” the sides could come to terms.

In separate interviews on team flagship station 93.7 The Fan, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton expressed optimism the owners and players would find a way to resolve their differences and play a shortened season.

“My optimism is based on the knowledge that I believe teams and players both want to play, that there is a motivation to play,” Cherington said. “When two groups are motivated about something, there tends to be a chance to work something out.”

Despite reports that at least six owners were against playing a season this summer, Shelton said a conversation he had Wednesday morning with Bob Nutting at PNC Park gave him the impression that the Pirates chairman was in favor of playing games.

“I think he wants to play,” Shelton said. “I think his mindset is to get back on the field and excited to get back on the field and know that our group, our staff, our players and our baseball ops group want to play.

“The Pirates’ situation, from the top down, we want to play baseball. We’re excited to play baseball in Pittsburgh this year. That was the general tone of the conversation, staying positive and staying optimistic. It’s nice to hear from the top down that we’re all on the same page.”

That getting on the same page required a 10-week standoff was frustrating for baseball fans, many of whom directed their ire this week at Manfred and MLB owners while watching the NBA and NHL work toward finishing their respective seasons.

Baseball’s spring training was stopped March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the union agreed March 26 to play for a prorated share of their guaranteed salaries.

Owners, however, cited potential loss of profits if fans aren’t permitted to attend games and continued asking for further concessions that left the sides $1 billion apart in guaranteed salaries.

Where players had scoffed at three previous proposals, flatly rejecting a 72-game schedule at 70% pro-rata with the potential for 83% and threatening to end negotiations, their social-media silence Wednesday afternoon was viewed as a positive sign of progress in the talks.

The Pirates furloughed members of their business staff in marketing and ticket sales and discontinued contributions to retirement funds, along with their highest-paid front office executives and coaches taking pay cuts. The team also released 39 minor league players last week, just hours before the start of the MLB Draft.

Earlier in the day, the MLB Players Trust announced it “will commit $1 million to help support minor leaguers unable to play this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Statement from MLBPA Executive Director, Tony Clark.

Learn more about the Players Trust commitment to support minor league baseball players. https://t.co/cPlJN1nHhg @mlb_players @peloteros_MLB pic.twitter.com/SA3KxE7an5

— MLB Players Trust (@MLBPlayersTrust) June 17, 2020

The MLBPA declaring a stalemate Saturday may have been a pivotal point in the negotiations.

“It unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile,” Clark said in a statement. “It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.”

That brought Manfred to the bargaining table with a proposed deal that could bring baseball back, sooner rather than later.