Formal proposal for MLB return reportedly expected this week

MLB is reportedly set to make a proposal to the players about a plan that would start the 2020 season in early July.

After weeks of speculation over how the 2020 MLB season could begin, it looks like there may be an official proposal on the table in the coming days.

Multiple reports on Wednesday indicated that the league is expected to give a proposal to the Players Association either by the end of this week or early next week at the latest.

The plan reportedly involves players ramping up activity in the coming weeks, reporting to a second spring training held at teams’ respective home parks in June and then beginning the season in early July.

While MLB’s favored timeline is starting to come into focus, it’s still unclear what shape the season will take.

Earlier reports about plans to play with all teams in one city or in just Florida and Arizona or in a few “hub” cities are now reportedly taking the back seat to hopes that teams could play in as many home stadiums as possible.

Even beyond the location, the list of unknowns involved in starting the MLB season is still long: Number of games, player pay, roster sizes, testing capacity, what happens if a player tests positive, what happens if a host city has an outbreak or a second surge when states “open up”, what would leagues or divisions look like, what would broadcast deals look like, on and on.

Despite so much uncertainty, it seems like MLB is determined to at least begin putting a real framework in place for starting the season under the current best-case scenario.