Report: MLBPA seeks $500M in grievance against MLB over 2020 season

Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

The MLBPA has filed a grievance against MLB seeking roughly $500 million in damages over the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY.

Per Nightengale, the union claims that MLB did not act in good faith in negotiating the campaign.

The players had originally proposed a 114-season, later reducing their ask to 89 games. MLB desired an 82-game campaign with a sliding salary scale, which was dropped to 76 games at 75 per cent prorated pay, and later to 72 games at 80 per cent.

Negotiations failed to amount to an agreement until commissioner Rob Manfred got involved, imposing a 60-game schedule with players receiving full pay or 37 per cent of their full salary.

Manfred said teams lost $3 billion with the deal.

The union, according to Nightengale, says MLB did not make its "best efforts to play as many games as possible" as laid out in their March agreement.

MLB, which has filed a counter-grievance, says the shortened campaign was necessary due to the pandemic.

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