*Photo from Bleed Cubbie Blue*
The MLB and the MLB players association(MLBPA) have agreed on a deal that settles various playing conditions for the 2020 season, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The two began discussing options after the start of the 2020 season was pushed back at least 8 weeks due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which would allow baseball to begin in mid may at the earliest. A roster freeze has been put into effect as a result, which prohibits teams from making any moves to their rosters, minor or major league.
The framework of the deal allows the regular season to extend into October, as a start date for the regular season was not reached. It also allows for the postseason to expand as early as this year, and for games to be played in neutral sites if necessary. The conditions needed for players to consent to playing in 2020 are that there are no bans on mass gatherings, there are no flight restrictions, and that medical experts will agree that playing games will not endanger players or fans. The players are also open to playing in empty stadiums as well. They are also reportedly open to playing a few doubleheaders each week to make up games lost.
The MLB also has the option to trim the MLB draft all the way down to 5 rounds as opposed to it's usual 40. They also have the option to push it back to the end of July and expand it if they want to. Each minor league prospect will get $100,000 of bonuses, with the remainder of the bonus they signed when drafted being split into lump-sum payments that are paid out in 2021 and 2022. The value of the 2019 draftee bonuses will stay in effect in 2020 and 2021. The upcoming international signing period, which is scheduled to being July 2, may also be pushed back by MLB to as far as January 2021, as well as the 2021 signing period.
In the case of a doomsday scenario, which would be the cancellation of the 2020 season, players will earn service time identical to the service time they got in 2019. That means new Dodgers OF Mookie Betts could hit free agency without playing a single regular season game in Dodger blue. Phillies catcher JT Realmuto and other big name players like Kris Bryant and Francisco Lindor would also become free agents as scheduled. If the season goes on in 2020, but with fewer games, the arbitration process has been adjusted so a player will not be penalized if they have stats below normal career stats in 2020.
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