In the wake of the Players Association rejecting Major League Baseball’s proposal to delay the start of the 2021 season, Spring Training is expected to begin on time later this month.
That’s assuming the two sides can reach an agreement on health and safety protocols as coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue surging. The league hoped to push the season back by a month to give players more time to get vaccinated and offered full salaries over a 154-game schedule.
The union, however, felt that accepting such a proposal would have given MLB commissioner Rob Manfred more power to further shorten the 2021 season if the outlook hadn’t improved in a month’s time.