The most influential players swarmed most of the weekend to discuss where they stood at MLB’s last offer, including with a few modifications that came Sunday. But all indications are that they still decided not to accept the latest version of the proposed 60-match season.

That will only encourage commissioner Rob Manfred to move more seriously towards pushing the button he wants to avoid: unilaterally implementing one season.

All this, though, plays against the background of the increasing cases of COVID-19 in important baseball countries that have the owner and the player decide what is the next appropriate step. This makes the situation smooth, open to potential efforts that have the potential to reach an agreement or even move some owners to more seriously consider whether to try the season at all.

If Manfred does not exercise unilaterally, as his collective rights are offered on condition that the players get their starting salary, chances are he will impose a schedule on 48-54 matches, although he can put on 60 and see if the fight against COVID -19 allows many games .

As the first reported by ESPN, Manfred on Sunday sent a letter to PA executive director Tony Clark offering to cancel an expanded playoff and universally designated hitter for 2021, above the requirements already displayed in a 60 match package, if this season does not complete the World Series because coronavirus.

Because the owner really wants more entries in the playoffs and joins the universal DH, this feature will give players additional points of leverage – one more apple bite, basically – if the worst case scenario arises. In the event of a COVID cancellation, the union can try to get something else in return for the 2021 additives.

The union’s executive board, which includes 30 team representatives plus eight members of the executive subcommittee, temporarily suspended the vote on Sunday to further ponder and discuss the potential of this sweetener – the latest PA proposal calls for 70 regular match seasons. However, the council was leaning towards the idea that changes at the last minute did not change their overall opinion about the proposal. The time of formal voting is still unclear until Sunday night.

Sunday’s Manfred’s letter reflects how much he wants to avoid unilateral implementation, for several reasons: 1) That does not include extra playoff games; 2) Without the enthusiasm for cooperation around the return of the game, some players might opt ​​out and basically boycott the season; and 3) This will open the possibility for players to file complaints against the owner for failing to negotiate in good faith, even though the owner can file the same complaint against the players.

As part of his letter to Clark on Sunday, Manfred urged that the 70-match regular season is not feasible given the desire to complete the World Series at the end of October. As the first reported by The Athletic, Manfred pointed out that the change of spring training from the Florida and Arizona sites to home playgrounds, the result of the COVID-19 outbreak in the two states, would further delay the opening of the camp until no earlier than June 29. Allow for three-plus spring training weeks, the commissioner believes, leaving 66 days to play 60 games on September 27, the day MLB wants to end the regular season.

The players, as part of their desire to play more (which will result in more pay), have expressed a desire to push the regular season calendar until mid-October. However, MLB opposed the idea because of medical concerns that the coronavirus would get worse when the weather was cold, and also the fact that baseball broadcast partners preferred to air the game in October and MLB did not want to oppose the presidential election on November 3. The recent surge of coronavirus not only in Florida and Arizona but also the important baseball state of Texas raises the MLB argument that sports should not push their luck with too many games.

Although their negotiations have been debated, the players and owners have almost agreed to health and safety conditions as well. While the two sides signed on to the radical idea of ​​placing runners on second base in extra rounds and even called in series matches after a number of rounds – all to limit players’ exposure to each other – that understanding would not be enforced through unilateral implementation.