MLB is reportedly set to offer players prorated salaries for a ~50-game season

Finally, some good news. It appears as though the owners have caved in their desire to squeeze money out of the players, meaning we could be nearing an agreement for some kind of 2020 season to get started.

According to Jeff Passan, MLB is intending to propose a much, much shorter season than originally anticipated, but they’ll also make good on the agreement from back in March, which is to pay players a prorated version of their salaries depending on how long the season is.

It’s very clear that the goal of the owners is still to pay the players as little as possible, hence the outrageously short season. I would imagine that the logic from the owners’ standpoint is that they’ll cave on the prorated salaries, cut the losses by having fewer regular-season games, and then recoup a bunch of cash with an expanded post-season, in which the players aren’t paid.

Given the players were looking for a season with 100-or-more games, we’ll certainly see some battling here from the two sides. But, still, this is a pretty big step in the right direction.

From a non-economic, purely fan standpoint, a 50-game season would be hilarious and chaotic, so I’m all for it. Anything can happen in such a small sample size.