MLB players approve 60-game season

The MLB Players Association has approved a 60-game season that would begin July 24, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday.

Health and safety protocols have been approved.

Per multiple reports, players would report to camps for training on July 1.

The union has agreed “on the Operating Manual which contains the health and safety protocols necessary to give us the best opportunity to conduct and complete our regular season and post-season.”

The 60-game schedule is the result of a unanimous vote by teams on Monday to move forward with the 2020 season.

Previous negotiations broke down over the length of the schedule and whether players would receive fully pro-rated pay.

A March 26 agreement with the union gave the league the right to impose a schedule, although some worried the season could be cancelled entirely based on the preference of a small faction of owners.

The league will play 60 regular-season games in 66 days, spanning from July 24 to Sept. 27. The latter date was MLB’S self-imposed cutoff date, as the league sought to avoid the risk of any playoff games being cancelled.

Players will receive full pro-rated pay for the season, working out to about 37 per cent of their salaries, and playoffs will remain at 10 teams, rather than the potential expanded post-season that was previously discussed.

The players rejected a previous 60-game proposal from the league that would have included expanded playoffs and other benefits.

That decision preserved their right to file a grievance over the length and financial terms of the season, maintaining that owners didn’t negotiate in good faith.

The regular season was scheduled to start March 26, but the coronavirus pandemic led to the ongoing delay.