MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Rejects Latest Union Proposal

Denard Span #4 with the Seattle Mariners in 2018. Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Major League Baseball fans were given a bit of hope during the week after reports suggested that Commissioner Rob Manfred and Players Association president Tony Clark were getting closer to reaching an agreement that would see the postponed baseball season get underway.

However, a new bucket of ice-cold water doused that hope with reality on Thursday, after it came to light that Manfred had immediately rejected the Union’s proposal of a 70-game regular season.

The two parties held a “productive” meeting earlier in the week in which several stumbling blocks towards an agreement, including player compensation, safety protocols, and season length, had reportedly been ironed out.

However, as the Players’ Association made it clear in their counter-proposal to Manfred, there is still a significant gap between the two sides when it comes to how many games will be played.

“I told (Clark) 70 games was simply impossible given the calendar and the public health situation, and he went ahead and made that proposal anyway,” Manfred said when asked about the problem regarding the number of games in the season.

Manfred has stated that, according to public health recommendations, it would be unsafe for the season to go on past the month of October, something that would be inevitable in the latest union proposal.

I am passionate about sports, travel, and food. I’ve visited over 20 different countries, have seen 6 professional sports leagues in person, and have a love for cuisine.