Padres: Two options remain for 2020 season

Now that the owners have rejected the players union proposal, the Padres season rides on two options.

If MLB cannot agree on a return-to-play plan this week or early next week, the Padres 2020 season is in serious jeopardy. Both the NHL and NBA have successfully created proposals that were approved by their respective player unions, but MLB has had a heck of a time getting any traction.

For what it’s worth, I actually liked MLBPA’s proposal but figured the owners might have one small tweak. Instead, they rejected it altogether and said no counters would follow. So what’s next? According to Jon Heyman, two options are left for baseball to return.

• 82-game schedule with sliding pay scale
• Mandated 50-game schedule with prorated pay

Regardless of what option is ultimately selected – hopefully, one of them is – this is not an ideal situation. This season and next, financially, are going to be impacted. Add to that the impending expiration of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement at the end of next season and the problems that are going to come along with that, and the owners are literally begging fans never to return again.

So, both sides need to agree on something, anything for baseball to return this year. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, for that matter. Eighty-two games allow for a larger sample size for all parties, obviously, but the players would be paid significantly less.

And fifty games are likely considered to be too short of a season but players would receive their prorated pay. Let’s hope a deal gets done quickly here, so we can resume Spring Training 2.0.