Blue Jays Close Facilities After COVID-19 Scare

The Toronto Blue Jays shut down their spring training facilities in Dunedin, Florida, on Thursday after a player showed coronavirus symptoms, according to sources. The Phillies, located in Clearwater, Florida, are also closing their facility after five players and a staff member tested positive. The Blue Jays player is a pitcher on the 40-man roster […]

MLB Owners Upset With Players' Latest Proposal

Major League Baseball owners are so upset about the Players Association's latest proposal -- which is for around $300 million more -- that no response is expected to be immediate this week. The league proposed a 60-game season earlier this week, while the players countered with a 70-game schedule, $50 million in playoff bonuses and […]

Players Union Proposing Schedule Of Around 70 Games

Updating an ongoing story, the Major League Baseball Players Association has finalized a proposal to the league for a season in the neighborhood of 70 games, according to sources. The season would run from July 19 to Sept. 30 and would include full pro-rated salaries and $50 million in playoff bonuses. It would also include […]

Players Want More Than 60-Game Season

Following a four-hour negotiation in Arizona between MLB commissioner and union executive director Tony Clark on Wednesday, the league believed the framework of a deal had been agreed upon, according to sources. But the union disagreed and players said they view the 60-game schedule proposal as too short. Absent a deal, the league has the […]

Spring Training 2.0 Could Start By June 29

If Major League Baseball and the Players Association can complete their negotiations by this Friday, the plan is for players to report to spring training 2.0 by June 29, with three full weeks of spring training before the 2020 season would begin. Most teams would train in their own home cities before starting the regular […]

MLB Sends New Proposal To Players

Major League Baseball has sent a new proposal to the Players Association on Wednesday, sources told ESPN.com's Jeff Passan. No deal is done yet, but commissioner Rob Manfred and union chief Tony Clark have met and made significant progress in negotiations for a 2020 season. The league knows players must get full pro rata, and […]

Rob Manfred Not As Confident Baseball Will Happen In 2020

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on Monday that he's "not confident" that there will be a 2020 baseball season and that "as long as there's no dialogue" with the Players Association, "that real risk is going to continue." Manfred said "unequivocally we are going to play Major League Baseball this year" and estimated the likelihood […]

Judge Rules MLB's Letter To Yankees Should Be Unsealed

A New York judge ruled on Friday that a letter from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to the New York Yankees addressing a 2017 investigation of the team should be unsealed. The Yankees have made an emergency appeal before the letter is to be unsealed on June 19. The Yankees and MLB have the chance to […]

Players Reject MLB's Latest Offer

The Major League Baseball Players Association asked the league to set a schedule for the 2020 season rather than submit another counterproposal. "Further dialogue with the league would be futile. It's time to get back to work. Tell us when and where," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement. The league has suggested […]

MLB, Players Remain At Impasse

MLB's latest return-to-play proposal has left the Players Association frustrated and increased the likelihood of commissioner Rob Manfred instituting a shortened season without input from the union, according to sources familiar with the situation. Dan Halem, the deputy commissioner, accused the players' union of causing "enormous damage to the sport" with its negotiating posture. The […]

MLB Owners Expected To Offer 70-75 Games In New Proposal

Major League Baseball owners are expected to propose a 2020 season lasting between 70 and 75 games to the players' union on Friday, sources told ESPN's Karl Ravech. The proposal would include a payment of somewhere between 80 percent and 85 percent of the players' prorated salary, which is a slight increase from their latest […]

Baseball Will Be Played In 2020

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said that "we will play Major League Baseball this year." The league will make a new proposal to the players union after receiving their 89-game proposal on Tuesday night. The next proposal will be a "significant move in the players' direction," but the league is fully prepared to exercise […]

Players Counter With 89-Game Proposal

The Major League Baseball Players Association is making a new proposal to the league for a season of 89 games with a full prorated share of salary and expanded playoffs, according to sources familiar with the situation. It could bring the two sides closer to an agreement, with the 89-game schedule proposal just 25 games […]

Fantasy Baseball Insider Report: Shortened Season Alters Strategies

The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, this time with in-depth takes on the shortened season from a former MLB executive and current broadcaster. Every year, Scott Engel talks to prime MLB sources to get exclusive nuggets of information. On the condition of anonymity, former and current players, executives, scouts, media members and […]

Players Union To Reject MLB's Latest Proposal

The MLB Players Union, according to sources, plans to reject the league's latest offer of a 76-game schedule in which the players would receive 75 percent of their prorated salaries for the regular season if the playoffs are completed and 50 percent if the postseason is canceled. However, the likelihood that baseball is played in […]

MLB Makes Another Proposal To Players Union

Major League Baseball made another proposal to the players on Monday: 75 percent prorated salary for a 76-game season in 2020. There would be playoff-pool money with no draft-pick compensation for signing players and the regular season would end on Sept. 27. The playoffs would wrap up at the end of October. It's a significant […]

Fantasy Baseball Insider Report: More Insights From an MLB Scout

The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, this time with more takes from a longtime Major League scout. Every year during fantasy baseball draft season, Scott Engel talks to prime MLB sources to get exclusive nuggets of information. On the condition of anonymity, former and current players, executives, scouts, media members and others […]

MLB Players Refuse To Take Another Pay Cut

The executive council/player representatives remained steadfast in turning down any further salary reductions during an MLB Players Union board meeting on Thursday. "The league’s demand for additional concessions was resoundingly rejected," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said. The players' proposal of a 114-game regular season was rejected by MLB owners, who prefer to play fewer […]

MLB Rejects Players' 114-Game Plan

Major League Baseball has rejected the players' offer for a 114-game regular season this year with no additional salary cuts and told the union it doesn't plan on making a counterproposal, according to sources. The owners offered an 82-game regular season last week. MLB has no interest in extending the season into November, when they […]

MLB Discussing Even Shorter Season, Prorated Salaries

Major League Baseball is discussing a shorter schedule in 2020 in which it would pay members of the Players Association their full prorated salaries, according to sources familiar with the situation. The possibility of a schedule of around 50 games that would start in July has been considered by the league as a last resort […]

No Evidence Of Progress Between Union, MLB

There has been no evidence of progress in talks between the Players Union and the owners, so there is no realistic hope to meet the "soft" deadline of Monday, June 1, for a deal. However, the hope remains to start a shortened season on July 4 weekend, and that is still a possibility if a […]

Phillies Expected To Conduct Spring Training At Home Park

The Philadelphia Phillies are another team that is expected to conduct a shortened spring training at their home stadium at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Several MLB teams have already opened their home stadiums to players on the 40-man roster for limited workouts during the coronavirus pandemic. Nothing is official yet, but the league is […]

Diamondbacks Opening Stadium For Workouts

The Arizona Diamondbacks are opening Chase Field on Friday for individual workouts for the first time since baseball was shut down due to COVID-19. Several players arrived on Thursday for workouts at the team's spring training facilities at the Salt River Fields. Players are preparing for a potential spring training 2.0 that would take place […]

Cardinals Reopen Spring Facility; No Furloughs Planned

The St. Louis Cardinals announced that they have reopened their spring training facility (Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida) for "very limited" access to baseball activities. They have also notified all full-time staff that they will continue to be paid their full salaries through the end of June, and that there are no planned […]

Giancarlo Stanton Taking Batting Practice

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (calf) has been taking batting practice as he continues to recover from a calf strain suffered early in spring training. The Yankees have been optimistic that Stanton would be healthy for the start of the season, and taking BP is a strong sign in that direction. Stanton is sometimes […]

Rays Opening Stadium For Player Workouts Next Week

The Tampa Bay Rays will open Tropicana Field on Monday, May 25, for limited and mostly individual player workouts. It will be the first official action at a team facility since March 17 during an optional workout at the Port Charlotte spring training facility before it was shut down due to COVID-19. Players will be […]

World Baseball Classic Being Moved To 2023

The World Baseball Classic is going to be moved from March of 2021 to March of 2023, pending approval by the tournament board, according to a source. One source said "it is not a priority right now" amid the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the country. The tournament had been set for March 9-23 in 2021 in […]

Owners Approve 2020 Season Proposal

Major League Baseball owners have approved a proposal that commissioner Rob Manfred plans to present to players on Tuesday on a return-to-play scenario that hopes to have baseball back in home stadiums by early July, according to sources familiar with the situation. The meeting between MLB and the Players Association on Tuesday will set the […]

MLB Draft Will Be Only Five Rounds

The 2020 Major League Baseball draft will only be five rounds, according to sources. All of the players who go undrafted will be eligible to sign for a maximum of $20,000. There was a proposal to the union for the draft to extend to 10 rounds, but the sides couldn't come to an agreement. A […]

The King's Insider Report: Views From an MLB Scout

The award-winning Fantasy Baseball Insider Series continues on RotoBaller, this time with the takes of a longtime Major League scout. Every year during fantasy baseball draft season, Scott Engel talks to prime MLB sources to get exclusive nuggets of information. On the condition of anonymity, former and current players, executives, scouts, media members and others […]