Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association reached an agreement Thursday evening that will address players’ salaries, players’ service times, arbitration, the MLB Draft and the international signing period amid the COVID-19 pandemic, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
In regards to the players’ salaries, MLB owners will advance them $170 million for April and May. If the season ends up being canceled rather than just delayed, the players will still keep the money.
The deal also works in the favor of the players in regards to their service time. Even if the 2020 season is never played, all players will get credit for a full year of service time. For example, both Yoenis Cespedes and Marcus Stroman would become free agents for the Mets without playing in any more games for the team.
If the season is played, but shortened, arbitration-eligible players will not be penalized for registering less counting stats (e.g. amount of runs, hits, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, etc.) than in past seasons.
MLB will have the most leverage in regards to the next couple of MLB Drafts and next couple of international signing periods.
MLB will have the right to shorten the 2020 MLB Draft to five rounds and shorten the 2021 MLB Draft to 20 rounds. MLB also has the right to delay the start of the 2020-21 international signing period to as late as January 2021 and delay the start of the 2021-22 international signing period to as late January 2022.
The players have already voted on the deal and the owners are expected to ratify it on Friday.
