Report: MLB owners, executives want season delayed until May

Major League Baseball executives and owners would like to delay the beginning of the 2021 season until May so players can be vaccinated before arriving to spring training, reports USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale.

However, the MLBPA has different thoughts. The union believes the campaign should begin in April after teams showed last season that they can adapt to safety protocols, Nightengale adds.

The players' association is also interested in conducting a full 162-game season in 2021, with players receiving full pay, while MLB is willing to shorten it to 140 or fewer games.

"We've seen anonymous quotes attributed to club sources casting doubt on the start date and length of the season," MLBPA senior director of collective bargaining and legal Bruce Meyer said Tuesday in a statement obtained by Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

Meyer added, "To be clear, and as we've made clear to the league, players are planning on showing up for spring training on time for a full 162-game season as set forth in the collective bargaining agreement and the league’s previously issued schedule."

The two sides were involved in contentious negotiations earlier this year regarding the 2020 campaign's length. Players wanted more games to receive higher pro-rated portions of their salaries, while owners were apparently interested in having fewer games because their stadiums wouldn't generate revenue without fans in attendance.

Commissioner Rob Manfred eventually enforced a 60-game regular-season with expanded playoffs.

"I don't see a snowball's chance in hell that spring training can start with protocols in place," a National League owner told Nightengale. "I think there will be significant pressure for players to get the vaccine first before they go to spring training, and if that has to be moved back to April and play 130 games, so be it.

"But to have 162 games, and start spring training at the normal time without players being vaccinated, that's just crazy."

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price, who sat out the 2020 campaign due to coronavirus concerns, would feel safer entering the upcoming season knowing everyone has been vaccinated.

"I would love for everyone in MLB to be able to get the vaccine, for sure," Price said, per Nightengale. "If that means starting later, then so be it. Hearing everyone talk about how taxing all of that was last year just to play, isn't something I think everyone wants to go through again."

Several players would like to see the regular season's start date pushed back so everyone can be vaccinated, according to Nightengale, who mentions an ideal scenario for the players would be to extend the campaign an additional month.

Owners, however, think playing a World Series in late November or December is unrealistic.

MLB and the union have begun negotiations to sort through any issues, but there hasn't been clarity on a potential start date, even with distributed COVID-19 vaccines reaching all U.S. states on Monday, according to CNN.

Spring training is tentatively scheduled to begin Feb. 27 with the regular season starting April 1.