…Fool me twice, shame on me.”

You’ve heard that expression countless times, but it seems so applicable today for all fans of Major League Baseball.

On June 10, 2020, MLB czar Rob Manfred guaranteed “…100 percent” that MLB would play a 2020 season. Players were on-board, just tell them when and where to report. PLAY BALL! Then, only five days later, Manfred back-tracked, saying that he was not confident that a 2020 season would be played. Apparently that 100 percent guarantee had some fine print that no one saw.

But wait, just 48 hours later the news was much more positive. Manfred and Players Association president Tony Clark met on Tuesday, June 16, in Phoenix Arizona that culminated in a framework to reopen negotiations. MLB then followed-up with a new proposal that seemingly, coulda-woulda-shoulda, been on the negotiating table weeks ago. That new proposal included full prorated salaries for all games played, an expanded number of teams in the postseason (rumor at 16 teams), players waiving rights to file grievances over compensation for the 2020 season, adding the Designated Hitter rule to the National League for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and MLB would be able to generate more revenue by including advertising on player uniforms for the next two seasons. (Can you say NASCAR?).

There remains at least one significant hurdle – the number of games to be played – before a tentative agreement is reached that must then be ratified by both the owners and the players before players can report to Spring Training 2. Reportedly, MLB proposed a 60-game regular-season schedule, but the MLBPA is expected to counter with a longer regular-season schedule. There are likely other bargaining issues to be resolved, including safety protocols, pay for players who opt out of the season due to existing health conditions that put them or their immediate family at high risk for COVID-19, roster sizes, taxi-squads, etc.

Signs are encouraging for a 2020 MLB season.

Then again, I’ve been fooled before.

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