MLBPA's Clark: Players anticipate 162-game season in 2021

MLB players are preparing for a full season in 2021 after a shortened campaign with expanded playoffs this past year, according to Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark.

"Our players anticipate arriving in spring training as normal and playing a 162-game season as they otherwise would," Clark told Sportico's Barry M. Bloom on Friday.

MLB staged a 60-game regular season in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Rob Manfred ultimately set the game total after months of contentious negotiations between the league and the players' union.

Clark confirmed players are preparing for 2021 spring training to begin in February with the regular season starting April 1, even though COVID-19 infections continue to rise worldwide.

"That's the plan," he said. "We've had some informal dialogue, but it's very early in the process. When I say early in the process, although we've gotten some feedback from the players, that engagement is ongoing for our guys. It's really laying out the moving pieces as far as health and safety and on-field rules are concerned."

Clark's comments come after Manfred said during the World Series he didn't "know what's next."

"It's going to be difficult for the industry to weather another year where we don't have fans in the ballpark. ... At this point, it's just impossible to speculate about what next year's going to look like," Manfred admitted at the time, citing the $8.3 billion in debt the league accrued because of a shortened campaign with no regular-season attendance.