MLB Offers Players 80% Of Prorated Salaries, 72-Game Season

UNDATED (AP) – Major League Baseball has offered players 80% of their prorated salaries and a 72-game schedule starting July 14 in an effort to start the pandemic-delayed season. That’s according to details of the proposal obtained Friday by The Associated Press. Players would get 70% of their prorated salaries during the regular season and the rest for completion of the postseason. The players’ last offer was for an 89-game regular season at full prorated pay. MLB proposed that players be guaranteed about $1.25 billion in salaries, earn an additional $200 million if the postseason is completed plus a $50 million postseason players’ pool even if no tickets are sold. The union’s proposal would guarantee players $2.2 billion. Before the new coronavirus caused opening day to be pushed back from March 26, salaries had been set to total $4 billion. Players have insisted they receive 100% of their prorated salaries, the terms the sides agreed to in March. But MLB told the union that playing in empty ballparks without gate revenue would cause a loss of $640,000 for each additional game played and that teams can’t afford 100% prorated pay. The union has said it doubts MLB’s figures but has not received sufficient financial disclosure to make a full evaluation.