Report: MLB proposes 'best offer' of 76-game season, 75% prorated salaries
Major League Baseball made a proposal to the players' association that includes a 76-game campaign with 75% prorated salaries for 2020, according to Karl Ravech of ESPN.
The plan also features playoff pool money and no draft-pick compensation for signing players, Ravech adds. The season would reportedly end Sept. 27 and the playoffs would conclude at the end of October.
Teams that lose free agents in the winter would receive compensation draft picks for players who sign either multiyear contracts above $35 million a season or one-year deals at $17.8 million or higher, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. Teams that sign free agents wouldn't lose picks.
It would be the first time in 45 years that draft-pick compensation wouldn't be directly tied to free agency, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
MLB also asked for 16 teams to make the playoffs, with eight each in the American League and National League, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The league termed the proposal its "best offer" and has given players 48 hours to respond, according to ESPN's Marly Rivera.
Under the newest proposal, the 2020 campaign would begin around July 10 following a spring training of at least 21 days, according to Passan.
Based on player reactions to the proposal, the prospect of a 48-game season appears likelier, Passan adds.
The players' union regards Monday's offer to be worse than the league's previous plan because it places a greater emphasis on risk sharing in the playoffs, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. Major leaguers would reportedly receive 50% prorated salaries if there is no postseason, but 75% if there is one.
"This offer should have been (made) in April and it would have been rejected," a source on the players' side told Buster Olney of ESPN.
A few current and former players took to Twitter following the reported proposal:
Lol
— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) June 8, 2020
that’s cute
— Jack Flaherty (@Jack9Flaherty) June 8, 2020
Isn’t paying 75% of 76 games basically the same as 100% of a 50 game season.
— dan haren (@ithrow88) June 8, 2020
Major leaguers would have to sign an "acknowledgment of risk" waiver before playing, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, who adds that players believe it's designed to undermine their right to challenge the league if it fails to provide a safe working environment.
Players would be allowed to opt out of playing if they're concerned about safety. Only those who are deemed "high-risk individuals" would be paid their salaries and retain all service time if they opt out, according to Passan.
MLB's newest offer doubles the amount of playoff money from $200 million to $400 million in comparison to the first offer presented to the players' union, reports Drellich.
Under the latest proposal, each major leaguer earns around 19% more than if forced to play a shorter season at 100% prorated salaries, according to Heyman. However, the MLBPA reportedly isn't willing to revisit further pay cuts after reaching a deal for full prorated salaries in March.