On Tuesday, the Major League Baseball Players Association agreed to have players report to training camps by July 1. MLBPA plans on playing a 60-game regular season.
Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the MLB and its players have been back and forth on deals involving playing out the 2020 season.
The two sides were able to reach an agreement that would prorate player salaries based on the number of games they played. This means the players will be receiving their normal salary per game that would have occurred with a non-shortened season.
According to ESPN, the players will receive their full prorated share – around 37% of their usual full-season salaries.
All remaining issues involving player safety and health protocols related to the season’s return has been finalized. Now that this final step has been cleared, players will report to training camps by July 1.
The beginning of the season is set to begin during the weekend of July 23-24.
Other than the shorter season, there come multiple changes. Teams will now implement a universal designated hitter, so pitchers will not have any at-bats. Also, extra-inning games will begin with a runner on second base for each team to encourage scoring and discourage long games, per MLB Network.
The season is expected to end by September 27 and the postseason would also remain at 10 teams.
Although the presence of fans seems unlikely, the negotiations between the MLB and MLBPA regarding the 2020 season seem to have officially been finalized.
