Manfred was told the league's proposed 60-game schedule was not long enoughGETTY IMAGES
With the MLBPA expected to ask for more than the 60 games proposed by MLB this week, the league and union once again "do not agree on what actually happened during their negotiations" and differ on "whether they reached a new deal in principle," according to Rosenthal & Drellich of THE ATHLETIC. Sources said that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark on Tuesday "settled on the framework of an agreement in a face-to-face meeting." However, the union is "adamant that no deal was reached, tweeting as much" last night. A source said that Clark "informed Manfred that the 60-game season proposed by the league was not long enough." Rosenthal & Drellich noted the union "does not view 60 as enough of an increase from the 50-odd number the league could impose to pass on a potential grievance and agree to an expanded postseason, particularly when the league offered 72 games five days ago." The league "believes it extended itself significantly in a comprehensive deal that included a universal DH and other benefits for the players." However, a union official "disagreed with any suggestion that even a tentative agreement had been struck." MLB "overcame seemingly the biggest obstacle by agreeing to pay players their full prorated salaries." But based upon the "differences of opinion about what happened Tuesday, significant obstacles remain" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/17).
BECOMING MORE CLEAR: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale writes while MLB and players were "optimistic early Wednesday that a deal was close to being finalized," the mood "soured by nightfall with the union seeking a longer schedule." The two sides today are "expected to re-engage in serious discussions" in "hopes of reaching a formal deal by this weekend" (USA TODAY, 6/18). ESPN.com's Jeff Passan cited sources as saying that the "fragility of the discussions was palpable," which "could fall apart and prompt owners to call on Manfred to set a schedule or perhaps cancel the season altogether." Whether that is "saber-rattling or reality should become clear in the coming days" (ESPN.com, 6/17). ESPN's Buster Olney said more concessions "need to come from the owners side." Olney: "We’ve seen the players unified. I still think you need to see a more aggressive offer from the owners, perhaps up to 70 games" ("Get Up," ESPN, 6/18).
CAN'T DENY PROGRESS: On Long Island, David Lennon writes, "We've never been closer. And after three angst-ridden months, wondering if baseball was hellbent on destroying itself, we're ready to say this could ... possibly ... maybe ... happen" (NEWSDAY, 6/18). In Chicago, Daryl Van Schouwen writes Manfred's statement addressing his meeting with Clark contained the "most encouraging, meaningful words to come from Manfred" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/18). In N.Y., Ken Davidoff writes the MLBPA is "on a roll." The union on Tuesday "electrified social media with its elegant mantra, espoused by superstars: 'Tell us when and where.'" Davidoff: "We'll see now if the emboldened Clark can advance these signs of progress to completion" (N.Y. POST, 6/18). ESPN's Passan said there "still is no trust” between MLB and the MLBPA, but the fact that Manfred and Clark got together was "at least a step in the right direction, and a necessary step too" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/17).
VARYING DEGREES OF OPTIMISM: An ESPN.com baseball insider roundtable discussed how much yesterday's developments pushed the league closer to having a '20 season, and Alden Gonzalez wrote it was a "substantial offer that, perhaps for the first time, made a deal seem possible." Gonzalez: "Likely, even. The biggest reason for that: Full prorated salaries." Olney was slightly less optimistic, but wrote, "They are talking, which is better than the alternative" (ESPN.com, 6/17). SI.com's Tom Verducci wrote the calendar "finally forced both sides into a framework not designed not to win but to settle." For all the "hand-wringing and the nasty tweets, the possible outcome serves all sides well" (SI.com, 6/17). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Joel Sherman writes he has some reservations about a deal because MLB and the MLBPA "tend to cooperate like oil and water." It is a "reminder that the 1-yard line is not the end zone, especially when MLB and the players association are involved" (N.Y. POST, 6/18). In Boston, Michael Silverman writes given that the sides were "at a stalemate and engaged in a war of words as recently as this weekend, the best way to view the state of the latest talks would be to prepare for some turbulence" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/18).
SAVING SOME FACE: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan writes Manfred's reputation was "shaky to begin with, but failing to get the season played would have been impossible for him to ever live down" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/18). In Boston, Peter Abraham writes Manfred "did salvage his reputation by finally making a proposal the players could accept and potentially paving the way" for a '20 season. Abraham: "Here's my question: What took you so long?" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/18).
PROS & CONS: In Dallas, Evan Grant writes this "once-in-a-lifetime kind of season might just be a lot of fun." A 10-week "sprint for the playoffs followed by a passionate playoff field." It "would be frantic and frenetic and thoroughly enjoyable." It "would certainly be better than talking about labor" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/18). In Houston, Brian Smith writes a shortened season is "better than nothing." But it also is a "huge historical asterisk in waiting, is impossible to take seriously and reeks of way too little, way too late." Fans are "on the verge of watching a severely abbreviated season that could simply be a setup for another sport-defining labor war" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/18).
JUST THE START? THE ATHLETIC's Jayson Stark wrote no matter "how this embarrassing baseball negotiating free-for-all ends, it won't be the finish line." It "will be more like the starting line." This "hasn't really been a fight about the present state of baseball." It has been the "first round of the biggest fight of the 21st century in any sport: an epic donnybrook over baseball's future" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/17).
