The Major League Baseball Players Association has proposed a 114-game regular season when the league returns from suspension.
Sources told The Athletic, ESPN and USA Today that the players’ union delivered its proposal to the league Sunday afternoon. The proposal also includes a regular season from June 30 through Oct. 31, two years of expanded playoffs, $100 million in deferred money for the players and an opt-out clause for players if they don’t want to play.
The MLB season has been suspended since mid-March in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Team admin-ajax.phps, league officials and the players’ union have been negotiating plans for a return for nearly a month.
The deferred money in the players’ proposal would only be given to players if the post-season is canceled. It would also only apply to contracts worth at least $10 million. The playoff expansion plan includes an increase from 10 to 14 teams in the next two post-seasons.
Sunday’s proposal is a response to MLB’s proposal on Tuesday. That proposal included an 82-game regular season and pay reductions in addition to players’ prorated salaries. Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer — a member of the union’s executive subcommittee — spoke out against the league’s proposal.
“After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players there’s no need to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions,” Scherzer wrote Wednesday.
The 2020 MLB season was scheduled to start March 26. Players were at spring training when the season was suspended due to the pandemic.
