Owners, players agree on stipulations for truncated 2020 baseball season amid COVID-19 pandemic

ball photo — Outfielder Mookie Betts, among others, are guaranteed to become free agents come November regardless of the season's status. If the year is canceled, Betts might never play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who acquired him in a trade with the Boston Red Sox this offseason.
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Major League Baseball owners on Friday approved a plan to address salary and service-time issues amid the indefinite delay to the start of the regular season, according to ESPN and multiple reports.

The owners completed an agreement reached between MLB and the players’ union Thursday night, which came after nearly two weeks of morning-to-night negotiations that involved players, owners, agents, executives, union officials and commissioner’s office staff.

As part of the agreement, obtained by ESPN, the players and MLB primarily agreed the 2020 season will not start until each of the following conditions are met:

There are no bans on mass gatherings that would limit the ability to play in front of fans. However, the commissioner could still consider the “use of appropriate substitute neutral sites where economically feasible”;
There are no travel restrictions throughout the United States and Canada;
Medical experts determine there would be no health risks for players, staff or fans, with the commissioners and union still able to revisit the idea of playing in empty stadiums.

While there was no formal framework in the agreement, owners and players both want to play as many games as possible. The flexibility of both sides was seen in the willingness to extend the regular season into October, play neutral-site playoff games in November and add doubleheaders to the schedule.

Union head Tony Clark said players are “very open” to playing in empty stadiums if needed to get games in.

Players pushed to receive a full year of service time, which counts days toward free agency, arbitration and pension, even in the event of a canceled season. When MLB agreed to grant that, the path to a deal coming together was forged, sources said.

The union agreed not to sue the league for full salaries in the event the 2020 season never takes place, and MLB will advance players $170 million over the next two months, sources said. The MLBPA will divvy up the lump sum among four classes of players, with the majority of it going to those with guaranteed major league contracts. If games are played, the advance will count against final salaries, which will be prorated.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has the discretion to shorten the 2020 draft to as few as five rounds, and it will be moved from June to sometime in July.

The agreement also calls for a transaction freeze, which bars teams from signing free agents, trading players and making roster moves.