MLBPA chief Tony Clark: 'Unequivocally false' that MLB, players had reached agreement

A day after their face-to-face meeting, negotiations Thursday for the return of baseball between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark grew more contentious, as Clark said it was “unequivocally false” that any prior agreement had been reached.

Clark announced a counterproposal to the owners’ offer of a 60-game season at full prorated salary by asking to increase the regular season to 70 games at full prorated salary, while agreeing to expanded playoffs and a universal designated hitter for the 2020 and ’21 seasons.

“We believe this offer represents the basis for an agreement on resumption of play,” Clark said in a statement that echoed the language of Manfred’s statement Wednesday.

Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/7chF9EafMO

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 18, 2020

Clark later issued another statement, clarifying he “made clear repeatedly in that meeting and after it that there were a number of significant issues with what he proposed, in particular the number of games” and called it “unequivocally false to suggest that any tentative agreement or other agreement was reached in that meeting.” Clark also said Manfred invited a counterproposal for more games “that he would take back to the owners.”

Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/MNAVfzx75C

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 18, 2020

Manfred told Bob Nightengale of USA Today: “I don’t know what Tony and I were doing there for several hours going back and forth and making trades if we weren’t reaching an agreement.”

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the players countered with an offer that training camps would start between June 26-28, with the season opening July 19 and ending by Sept. 30. The counterproposal also grants MLB permission to sell advertisement patches on uniforms and asks for a mutual waiver of grievances.

Rosenthal also reported the union asked for a $50 million postseason pool if the full playoffs — which would increase from 10 to 16 teams — are staged amid the coronavirus pandemic and a “50/50 split of incremental television revenues for additional postseason games in 2021.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred: "We’re at the same place. We want to play. We want to reach an agreement. ...We're doing everything necessary to find a way to play, hopefully by agreement.''

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 18, 2020

“This needs to be over. Until I speak with the owners, I can’t give you a firm deadline,” Manfred told Nightengale. “We’re at the same place. We want to play. We want to reach an agreement. … We’re doing everything necessary to find a way to play, hopefully by agreement.”