MLB and the player’s union have not had a good couple of months. The two sides have been deeply entrenched in a bitter battle of finances, all of which has been more public than any other labor dispute in baseball history. With that being said, we might be very close to getting baseball back. Let’s dive into some of the news from around the league this week.
Top News This Week
- This week started off with the commissioner of baseball Rob Manfred telling the world that he wasn’t entirely sure that baseball would be back in 2020. This comes just days after he said he was 100 percent positive there would be baseball this season. As you can imagine, this did not go over well with the player’s union.
- The league and union were reportedly close to coming together on a deal that would include 60 games for the MLB season. The deal would also reportedly include the players waiving their rights to any grievances against the league for the season. That means players would not be able to file lawsuits against the league for the financial compensation during the 2020 pandemic season.
- Baseball purists will want to look away on this one. The designated hitter is going to be coming to the National League if there is indeed a season in 2020 and will extend into 2021 with the latest proposal from MLB. If that’s the case, then you can pretty much anticipate that this will become a permanent move in baseball.
- Prior to the report of the agreement or new proposal, it was reported that Rob Manfred met with Tony Clark, the head of the player’s union, in Arizona on Wednesday. The two sides were said to have a very productive conversation just a few days after Rob Manfred essentially threw in the towel on negotiations.
- The new offer from MLB is said to be worth $1.5 billion in prorated pay to players. The last offer maxed out at $1.5 billion in a best-case scenario. It is seeming likely that players will ask for more games than 60, with many experts expecting them to land on somewhere around 66 games.
Social News
Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitcher Jon Duplantier discussed race and speech in a a roundtable this week, with some incredible quotes coming from Duplantier.
.@dup_thereitis and Harold Reynolds discuss race and speech in the Being Black in Baseball and America roundtable. https://t.co/VsD7BrCwbT pic.twitter.com/sAJjZjhm8B
— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2020
The Angels’ Jo Adell highlighted some of the issues that many black players face every day at the amateur and even professional levels of baseball.
.@joadell0 highlights the issues that many black players face at the amateur and professional level. pic.twitter.com/wGf6cSBGiB
— MLB (@MLB) June 17, 2020
The MLB and MLBPA issued this video earlier this week, calling it #Players4BLM in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Take the time to watch this powerful video.
One Team. One Dream. #Players4BLM
🎥 #WeAreColeture pic.twitter.com/2kYIdZbetJ— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) June 16, 2020
And finally, we remember Clayton Kershaw throwing a no-hitter six years ago today in what SHOULD have been a perfect game. Thanks Hanley Ramirez.
On this day in 2014, @ClaytonKersh22 tossed a 15 K no-hitter against the Rockies. 🔥 #BackstageDodgers pic.twitter.com/S0m4zKCbTa
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 18, 2020
All of that news and more, this week in MLB! Check back weekly with GMS Sports for the most up-to-date information on your favorite sports.
