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Eckersley expects MLB, union to 'split the difference' on 2020 season

MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / MediaNews Group / Getty

Boston Red Sox television analyst Dennis Eckersley can't see the 2020 season being canceled despite the ongoing conflict between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

"The players want 114 games and the clubs want 50 or 60," Eckersley said Monday on NESN After Hours. "So to me, you're going to split the difference. You get to 82, that's my guess."

The MLBPA recently countered a league proposal by suggesting players receive full prorated salaries over a 114-game season. The league and owners are reportedly considering a scenario where prorated salaries would be provided but only if a much shorter schedule is adopted.

The Hall of Famer added it is in everyone's best interest to make sure a season gets played, which is why he remains optimistic that games will take place as long as an agreement can be reached sooner than later.

"It’s going to happen," Eckersley said. "To me, it's a no-brainer. They know they cannot not play baseball. You cannot go dark for 16-18 months. And they all know it. And all the reporters have written about it. If you don't want to drive baseball off the cliff, and they’re not going to. And so I'm all for it. They're going to play."

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