Commissioner Rob Manfred losing confidence there will be MLB games in 2020

Less than a week after saying that he was “100 percent” certain that there would be a Major League Baseball season in 2020, Commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN on Monday that he’s no longer sure.

“I’m not confident,” Manfred said in an interview to be aired Monday night. “I think there’s real risk; and as long as there’s no dialogue, that real risk is gonna continue.”

Union head Tony Clark then issued a statement saying the players are “disgusted” that Manfred “has decided to go back on his word and is now threatening to cancel the entire season.”

Amid the news of the financial impasse came a report that several Major League Baseball players and staff members have already contracted the coronavirus. None were named in the initial report.

Certainly, there will remain questions about whether the resumption of sports is safe, from a health perspective, but baseball players and teams had seemingly bridged many of the logistical issues about how to minimize the risk while returning to action.

The major hurdle was determining the financial aspects of baseball’s return. Although there was never an indication that an agreement was close, Manfred said last week, in advance of the draft, that he was “100 percent” certain there would be some kind of MLB season. Manfred has all along held the right to unilaterally set the parameters for the season, as long as players received full pro-rated salaries.