Padres News: Players union to vote on MLB’s 60-game proposal

The Padres may soon find out whether they will resume play as the players’ union is reportedly set to vote on accepting the league’s 60-game proposal.

I hope this negotiation process is resolved soon. And per Bob Nightengale of The USA Today, the MLBPA will vote on whether to accept MLB’s 60-game proposal on Sunday. Yes, Father’s Day of all days to do it. Happy Father’s Day to all Dad’s out there, by the way. After responding to the league’s proposal with a 70-game version instead, MLB owners rejected it and opted not to respond.

This whole process has been frustrating, as both sides seem to want to have the final word, which doesn’t bode well, at all, for the Collective Bargaining Agreement talks that will happen after next season. For what it’s worth, I thought the league’s 60-game proposal – pushed from a meeting between Rob Manfred and MLBPA President Tony Clark – was the best option thus far.

But the players wanted ten more games, which the owners said “no dice.” And through all of this, we have to remember that there is a pandemic going on that has recently impacted several spring training facilities. COVID-19 ran through the Phillies and Blue Jays’ facilities on Friday, causing a league-wide shutdown for every club to sufficiently provide a deep cleaning of their spring training sites.

And what’s interesting is that some clubs are opting to train at their home ballparks, while others are training in Florida or Arizona. The latter has recently become a hotspot for the virus, which would have likely wreaked havoc had Phoenix been chosen as the hub for MLB this season way back when.

I like to believe that the players will accept the league’s offer, given the phrase iterated by the players last week was “Tell Us Where And When.” But I just don’t know anymore, especially with the recent string of COVID-19 cases that have popped up, not only in MLB but also impacting college football and a couple of NHL camps.

We’ll see how they vote today, and perhaps a season can be salvaged, but the proper testing protocols have to be in place. Safety first before entertainment for us fans.

UPDATE:

No voting occurred yesterday.