Report: MLB rejects 114-game plan, discussing short season without fans

Major League Baseball has rejected the MLB Players Association's proposal for a 114-game season and stated it will not send a counter, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The league has reportedly engaged owners in conversations about playing a shorter 2020 campaign without fans at games. MLB also wants to discuss ideas with the players' union about resuming the season with empty stadiums, according to Rosenthal.

But pessimism regarding the fate of the season has reached a new low on both sides of the negotiations, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post, citing sources.

The deadlock over player pay is a key hurdle that has stalled talks, Rosenthal notes.

The league is reportedly considering a campaign featuring around 50 games, with players receiving their full prorated salaries. It's believed MLB would only entertain a longer schedule if major leaguers agree to further pay cuts - a position the MLBPA isn't willing to revisit after reaching a deal for prorated salaries in March, according to Rosenthal.

Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick called the players' union's proposed 114-game schedule a "non-starter" Tuesday.

MLB's 2020 season has been on hold since the coronavirus pandemic forced a shutdown in mid-March.