MLB to offer owners plan for 2020 season

Major League Baseball is inching closer to a plan for a potential 2020 season.

The league will hold a conference with club owners Monday to discuss its plans, according to a report by the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. If the owners agree on the layout, the league will present its proposal to the players’ union Tuesday.

The league is still aiming to begin the season in early July, which should allow for about an 80game schedule.

Teams would face opponents from their division and the same geographic division in the opposite league. A National League West club like the Giants would face teams from the NL West (Diamondbacks, Rockies, Dodgers and Padres) and AL West (A’s, Astros, Angels, Mariners and Rangers) to reduce travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.

An expanded postseason would follow the shortened season, featuring seven teams in each league instead of five. Under this proposal, the team with the best record in each league would receive a bye in the wildcard round and advance to the Division Series, per the Athletic’s report. The two other division winners and wild card with the best record would face the bottom three wild cards in a bestofthree wildcard round.

But this blueprint will be possible only if the league and players’ union come to a financial agreement. The league believes it will spend more on player salaries than it would earn in revenue for every regularseason game played without fans.

Even an official plan would be subject to change. Both the league and union are at the mercy of the outbreak when it comes to a schedule, locations, backup plans if a player tests positive and financial decisions.