THERE will be a baseball season in the United States in 2020 — but only because commissioner Rob Manfred is now imposing his will on the players union.

With their weeks-long stalemate continuing after the players union executive board voted 33-5 to reject the league’s latest 60-game proposal, the Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Monday night that it will start the process of implementing a season. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, a 60-game schedule is what MLB is looking to impose.

The league released a statement saying it was disappointing that a deal couldn’t be struck with players and has given the union a 24-hour deadline to provide two pieces of information needed to start a 2020 season: whether players can report by July 1 and whether the players will agree to the so-called “operating manual” for the season, which contains the health and safety protocols for a COVID-19 shortened season.

Here is the league’s statement:

“Today, the Major League Baseball Players Association informed us that they have rejected the agreement framework developed by Commissioner Manfred and Tony Clark. Needless to say, we are disappointed by this development.

“The framework provided an opportunity for MLB and its players to work together to confront the difficulties and challenges presented by the pandemic. It gave our fans the chance to see an exciting new Postseason format. And, it offered players significant benefits.

“In view of this rejection, the MLB Clubs have unanimously voted to proceed with the 2020 season under the terms of the March 26th Agreement. The provisions listed above will not be operative.

“In order to produce a schedule with a specific number of games, we are asking that the Players Association provide to us by 5 p.m. tomorrow with two pieces of information. The first is whether players will be able to report to camp within seven days by July 1. The second is whether the Players Association will agree on the Operating Manual, which contains the health and safety protocols necessary to give us the best opportunity to conduct and complete our regular season and Postseason.”

Baseball fans knew the owners forcing a season was a possibility all along, as the league believed a March agreement with the players union allowed it to impose a season of its liking, so long as players were paid prorated contracts.

(SD-Agencies)