During the first day of the 2020 MLB Draft on June 10, commissioner Rob Manfred made a bold statement, claiming that baseball was “100 percent” returning this year.
No one really believed the certainty of that statement, but it did suggest that, at the very least, he was prepared to institute a shortened season with full prorated pay for the players.
But no more. On Monday, Manfred reversed course, admitting to the growing possibility of a 2020 without baseball. Manfred told ESPN that, “I’m not confident. I think there’s real risk; and as long as there’s no dialogue, that real risk is gonna continue.