MLB owners, players still working on plan

PHOENIX — Major League Baseball and the owners are expected to swiftly reject the union's proposal of a 70-game season with full prorated pay, according to two people with direct knowledge of the talks.

They spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.

MLB will likely submit another counter- proposal to bridge the approximately $300 million gap between the two sides' last offers.

“This needs to be over,'' commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Until I speak with the owners, I can't give you a firm deadline.''

Manfred said Wednesday that he reached the framework of a deal with union chief Tony Clark on a 60-game season, providing the players with full prorated pay.

However, the players rejected MLB's offer on Thursday and came back with a counter-proposal for 70 games with $50 million in postseason revenue, along with allowing players to keep $33 million of the $170 million in upfront money paid before May 24.

In Thursday's offer the union also agreed to not pursue a grievance, allow MLB to have advertising on uniforms, and permit $50 million to be transferred from joint funds to the commissioner's discretionary fund.

“We believe this offer represents the basis for an agreement on resumption of play,” Clark said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

After receiving the offer, three owners told USA TODAY Sports they were incensed by the terms, believing the gap may be too deep for the two sides to reach a quick

compromise.

In the most recent offer from the league, owners had agreed to pay full prorated salaries for the first time, a stance the union never wavered during negotiations.

MLB had also agreed to implement a universal DH not only for 2020, but also in 2021. In that offer, the union would receive $ 25 million in a postseason pool and the two sides would contribute $10 million to social justice programs.

Clark stressed Thursday that no agreement had been reached during his meeting with Manfred and said that the commissioner had invited a counter- proposal for more games.

“In my discussions with Rob in Arizona we explored a potential pro rata framework, but I made clear repeatedly in that meeting and after that it that there were a number of significant issues with what he proposed, in particular the number of games,” Clark said in a statement.

“It is unequivocally false to suggest that any tentative agreement or other agreement was reached in that meeting. In fact, in conversations within the last 24 hours, Rob invited a counterproposal for more games that he would take back to the owners. We submitted that counterproposal (Thursday).”

Said Manfred on Thursday: “I don't know what Tony and I were doing there for several hours going back and forth and making trades if we weren't reaching an agreement.”

Still, the commissioner hopes a deal can be reached to get the season going.

“We're at the same place. We want to play. We want to reach an agreement,” Manfred said Thursday. “We're doing everything necessary to find a way to play, hopefully by agreement.''

Manfred was also adamant that the season will not be extended beyond Sept. 27.

“We are not extending the season,” he said. “We are not playing doubleheaders. It is not safe.''