Questions lingering about season

The Braves will play ball this summer. That’s according to a rather highly placed source: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

He said in two interviews preceding the sport’s amateur draft Wednesday night that there will be an MLB season, one way or the other. “We’re going to play baseball in 2020,” Manfred said on MLB Network. “One hundred percent.”

That leaves a few questions:

1. Will the pandemic-delayed season commence as a result of a negotiated settlement between the owners and the players’ union, or as a result of Manfred unilaterally implementing a schedule length of his choosing?

Manfred said he’d prefer the former, but will do the latter “if we have to.” He didn’t specify a deadline for determining which route he’ll take to opening day. The clock is ticking. A March agreement between MLB and the union gave Manfred the power to implement a schedule if “good faith” negotiations fail.

2. Will the union budge on its insistence that players receive 100% of their prorated salaries for each game played?

There’s no sign of wavering on that. The union’s latest proposal, made Tuesday, called for an 89-game schedule at the players’ full pergame salaries.

3. Will the owners budge on their insistence that players take an additional pay cut?

There’s no sign of that, either. Manfred said owners will make a new counterproposal in hopes the players will reciprocate by moving off “the 100% (prorated) salary demand.”

4. If the players don’t accept less than their full per-game salaries, how long a schedule will the owners allow at full pay?

That’s the big unknown despite hints — or threats — it could be as few as 50 games. It won’t be anywhere near the 89 games in the union’s Tuesday proposal, for both economic and calendar reasons. “Eighty-nine games, given where we are in the calendar in the course of the pandemic, is not realistic,” Manfred said. The owners have insisted the regular season can’t extend beyond September.

5. Will fans be allowed at Truist Park and other stadiums this year?

Not initially and maybe not at all. “Our revenues are going to be down over 70%,” Manfred said.