Will the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) accept the latest return-to-play proposal submitted by the league on Monday? It’s the million-dollar question that anxious fans are waiting to hear.
According to ESPN, the league submitted a 60-game proposal with the end of the shortened regular season arriving no later than Sept. 27, followed by the postseason. What’s more is that ESPN reports that the players are expected to agree to the new proposal, which includes updated health-and-safety guidance.
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.”
“In order to produce a schedule with a specific number of games, we are asking that the Players Association provide to us by 5:00 p.m. (ET) tomorrow with two pieces of information,” MLB said in a statement Monday night.
“The first is whether players will be able to report to camp within seven days (by July 1st). The second is whether the Players Association will agree on the Operating Manual which contains the health and safety protocols necessary to give us the best opportunity to conduct and complete our regular season and Postseason.”
If the union does accept the proposal, the Twins could be back at Target Field in Minneapolis within the next week or so (by July 1), though it’s not entirely clear when regular season games would begin.
Meanwhile, a mid-to-late July start to the season could happen against the backdrop of more COVID-19 outbreaks. While Minnesota’s outbreak has been trending downward over the past three weeks – fewer cases, deaths and hospitalizations – other states are seeing massive redevelopment of infection.
Florida, on Monday, reported nearly 3,000 new cases, while Texas, Arizona and California have experience significant increases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
So long as COVID-19 is a threat, the continuation of baseball or any sport for that matter is not guaranteed. As Brewers pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted, “What happens when we all get it?”
What happens when we all get it?
— Brett Anderson (@_BAnderson30_) June 23, 2020
