MLB is back for 2020

Photo credit: Peter Miller

By Lou Roesch

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 15, 2020) Major League Baseball owners made it official just after lunch on Monday making a proposal to the players’ union that could lead to a season beginning possibly as early as the Fourth of July weekend without fans. Included with the proposal comes a plan that envisions expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020.

Spring training would start in early to mid-June, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the plan were not announced.

According to the proposal, each team would play 82 regular-season games, primarily against opponents in its own division along with interleague matchups against their opposite league counterparts limited to AL East vs. NL East, AL Central vs. NL Central and AL West vs. NL West.

Postseason would be expanded to 14 teams instead of the normal 10 clubs. The All-Star Game planned for July 14, 2020 will be scrapped as well.

Teams would be scheduled to play in their own parks assuming all medical and government protocols give the thumbs up. If not, the back-up plan floated about a month ago would have the teams playing at their spring training sites.

The most contentious part of the proposal is all about the money.  The owners proposal will ask players receive a percentage of their 2020 salaries based on revenues MLB receives during the regular-season and postseason.