Report: MLB Proposes 154-Game Schedule, May Start to MLBPA
According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, Major League Baseball has made a new proposal to the MLB Players; Association with regards to the 2021 season and the ongoing battle to control the spread.
This headline feels like Deja Vu oh wait it is a headline that we wrote last year in 2020. We all thought that 2021 would be different from 2020, but Cornavirus is still affecting the United States and professional sports. Well, just like 2020, we are in a holding pattern on when Baseball is going to start and how long the season will be.
According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, Major League Baseball has made a new proposal to the MLB Players' Association regarding the 2021 season and the ongoing battle to control the spread of COVID-19 and offer players and staff a safe environment to return to work.
According to Brown, the Major League Players Union made an offer on Friday to have a "54-game schedule with full pay, delayed by a month and extended by a week", adding that the previously debated issue of expanded postseason play was included in the proposal."
As it was reported last week, eight leaders of the Cactus League urge a delayed Spring Training start.
Major League Baseball responded later Monday via a prepared statement saying, “As we have previously said publicly, we will continue to consult with public health authorities, medical experts, and the Players Association whether any schedule modifications to the announced start of Spring Training and the Championship Season should be made in light of the current COVID-19 environment to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, umpires, MLB employees and other game day personnel in a sport that plays every day.”
The Major League Players Association issued their own statement: “While we, of course, share the goals of a safe Spring Training and the regular season, MLB has repeatedly assured us that it has instructed its teams to be prepared for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Regular Season and we continue to devote all our efforts to making sure that that takes place as safely as possible."
Another issue that still hasn't been decided is the still-undecided fate of the universal designated hitter, there is plenty left to square away before pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training.
At this point, all fans can sit back and wait for Major League Baseball and the Players Association to work things out. Hopefully, that is sooner rather than later.
