Tuesday morning news bullets

It seems like we're getting closer to a 2020 MLB season, but there are still some hurdles in the way. A lot of news came out yesterday, so I'll try to update you on everything you need to know here

---

MLB owners vote on proposal for 2020 season

MLB owners had a conference call yesterday and approved a proposal for how to play the 2020 season. The details of said proposal have been reported on extensively by multiple outlets, including The Athletic. 

Basically, teams will play an 82-game season, playing at their home stadiums. They will play teams in their division as well as teams in the same division in the other league. For example, the Braves, an NL East team, will play other NL East teams as well as teams from the AL East. Due to this, there could also be a universal DH.

The season will begin in early July and the postseason will be expanded to 14 teams instead of 10.

But, there's likely to be a pay dispute

We might not get to the point where the owners and the players union can agree on anything due to a looming pay dispute. The owners want to implement a revenue-sharing agreement that would give players 50% of the season's revenue. 

Players are upset because there was already an agreement in place. Owners are arguing that the loss of ticket sales will hurt revenue drastically. Players fire back that TV deals should bring in enough revenue. 

It's an ugly battle and it could get worse. This could ultimately be the issues which prevents us from having a 2020 season, even after its deemed safe to do so. 

NL teams need to find DHs, fast

The implementation of a universal DH will come as a shock to NL teams who weren't expecting that development this soon. 

For teams that weren't prepared for needing a DH, it puts them at a competitive disadvantage. There are very few players still on the market, and any player on an NL team's roster is there at least partially for their defensive abilities. It will be interesting to see how this one shakes out. 

2021 World Baseball Classic canceled

ESPN's Enrique Rojas reported yesterday that the 2021 World Baseball Classic would be canceled. News came out later in the afternoon that the event would be moved to 2023. 

Regardless, it's a loss for the baseball community. Without baseball in the Olympics in the past decade, the WBC has filled in as the sport's main international competition, and it has provided some great moments, notably when the U.S. won for the first time in 2017. 

We'll miss the WBC next year, but hopefully by that time we'll at least have a normal MLB season to look forward to.