Nothing is done. There’s still negotiating to be done. Etc. Etc. I won’t get my hopes up, and there are still some holes.
But, this is a huge step in the process:
Major League Baseball intends to propose a shorter season in which they would pay players a full prorated share of their salaries, sources told ESPN. The league believes the late March agreement allows it to set the schedule, and that this would fulfill players’ pro rata desire.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2020
Passan added on SportsCenter that the “shorter” season could be as small as 50ish games, which could easily become a serious issue for the players (it would mean 1/3-ish pay, and would also make for a weird and problematic schedule/playoffs). So, again, this is not perfect. I highly doubt the players would go for such a small season and payout, though the owners may lean on the March agreement and say, hey, we are paying you full prorated pay, but we set the schedule. They’re gonna fight about that part.
HOWEVER, the owners being willing to go for full prorated salaries is a start. It’s a really important negotiating start. The owners take the “L” on prorating, and now can negotiate up from an unrealistically short ask on the length of the season. Now, the sides need to negotiate on length. Please. Please.