Red Sox CEO: 'I'm very optimistic we will play baseball this year'

Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the union haven't seemed to be trending toward an amicable arrangement for a 2020 season, but league executives are still optimistic that a campaign will get played.

"It's incredibly frustrating for our fans, for our players, for our front office," Boston Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said of the stalemate during an appearance on 7News Boston WHDH.

"I'm very optimistic we will play baseball this year. I really do believe that," Kennedy continued. "I'm an optimistic person, but I feel like the owners and the players are going to come together."

In the event the league and union can't come to an agreement, the league believes the March agreement, which guaranteed players full prorated salaries, gives it the unilateral ability to implement a 50-game season.

"We've obviously committed to playing at least a 50-game schedule," Kennedy added, "and hopefully we'll make progress sooner rather than later."