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MLB, MLBPA reportedly getting closer to an agreement for a 2020 season

MLB and the MLBPA seem to be working towards a deal after Rob Manfred and Tony Clark met in person Wednesday.

2017 Major League Baseball World Series Game Two: Houston Astros v. Los Angeles Dodgers Getty Images

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark had a face-to-face meeting Wednesday in Arizona, and while the two sides have not yet come to an agreement, the two sides appear to be much closer to a deal for a shortened 2020 season than they’ve been at any point since talks began. MLB has reportedly submitted a formal proposal to the players’ union for a 60-game season with full prorated salaries, expanded playoffs, and the union waiving its right to file a grievance against the league. Numerous reporters, including ESPN’s Jeff Passan, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, were all over the news on Wednesday:

While there is no deal yet between the two sides, a statement from Manfred released Wednesday afternoon certainly projects a more encouraging tone than the commissioner’s other recent statements:

MLB really has no chance of capturing all the goodwill it had among fans before this whole debacle, but any version of a 2020 season would certainly go a long way towards reinvigorating fans, easing the relations between the two sides in advance of their next CBA negotiation, and preserving players’ careers which otherwise may have been ruined by a full year (or more) of inactivity brought on by the combination of the COVID-19 shutdown and the potentially washed out 2020 season.