Latest on MLB labor negotiations

The negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA on how to play the 2020 season have been a long, drawn out process that has resulted in little progress and lots of frustration. As the talks drag on, fans are getting more and more restless waiting for the two sides to figure it out. 

The latest news came yesterday when ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that Rob Manfred sent a letter to the players association in which he offered to cancel the expanded playoffs and universal DH for 2021, if a full season is not played in 2020. 

Passan went on to speculate that this offer could be the "last and best chance" the two sides have to strike a deal. 

Multiple sources reported that the players had planned to meet Sunday to vote on a proposal, but that meeting was cut short once union chief Tony Clark received the letter from Manfred, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

So, that could be promising, but it's also unclear where the players stand and whether they will take a deal from MLB. 

Now, on to the less promising news. 

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported last night that 40 MLB players and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, and that those cases are causing urgency in the labor negotiations. Reports came out earlier last week that players and staff members with the Phillies had tested positive, but it now seems to be more widespread.

Nightengale says that with these cases of the virus, the earliest spring training could begin is June 29 with the season beginning no earlier than July 26, a big difference from the July 1 Opening Day we had all hoped for just a month ago. 

Who knows where the negotiations will go from here, but if the two sides want to play baseball in 2020, they better figure it out quickly.