5:45pm: Clark has issued a statement in response to Manfred’s remarks: “Players are disgusted that after Rob Manfred unequivocally told Players and fans that there would “100%” be a 2020 season, he has decided to go back on his word and is now threatening to cancel the entire season. Any implication that the Players Association has somehow delayed progress on health and safety protocols is completely false, as Rob has recently acknowledged the parties are “very, very close.” This latest threat is just one more indication that Major League Baseball has been negotiating in bad faith since the beginning. This has always been about extracting additional pay cuts from Players and this is just another day and another bad faith tactic in their ongoing campaign.”

3:58pm: As of last week, commissioner Rob Manfred was fully confident there would be a 2020 Major League Baseball Season. That’s no longer the case, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Manfred told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on Monday that he’s “not confident” a season will occur because of the lack of dialogue between the league and the union.

This is a quick about-face from Manfred, who declared June 10, “We’re going to play baseball in 2020 — 100 percent.” Since then, though, the union rejected the league’s latest proposal, which was not a surprise after MLB once again fell well short of promising the players the 100 percent prorated salaries they have been banking on receiving. Owners have since turned their attention to the best way to play a season while keeping everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, but if we’re to take Manfred’s sudden pessimism at face value, it may be a moot point.

In defending the owners, Manfred told Greenberg: “The owners are a hundred percent committed to getting baseball back on the field. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’m a hundred percent certain that’s gonna happen.”

The union side, for its part, expressed a desire to play this past weekend. “Tell us when and where,” executive director Tony Clark said.

However, the league sent the union a letter Monday saying there won’t be a season unless the players waive any legal claims against MLB stemming from the sides’ March agreement, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Additionally, Manfred went after the union for the letter it sent to the league Friday.

“Unfortunately, over the weekend, while Tony Clark was declaring his desire to get back to work, the union’s top lawyer was out telling reporters, players and eventually getting back to owners that as soon as we issued a schedule – as they requested – they intended to file a grievance claiming they were entitled to an additional billion dollars,” Manfred said. “Obviously, that sort of bad-faith tactic makes it extremely difficult to move forward in these circumstances.”

As part of the agreement that the league and the union made back, Manfred has the ability to implement as long of a season as he wants (maybe one as few as 40-some games). However, the union could file a grievance against the league for acting in bad faith and not making a legitimate effort to play as many games as possible. Furthermore, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post relays, Manfred could simply opt against starting a season because of a few conditions baked into the two sides’ agreement. As Sherman writes, “1. There are no governmental restrictions on spectators attending games. 2. There are no relevant travel restrictions in the United States and Canada. 3. That after consultation with recognized medical experts and the union that there are no unreasonable risks to players, staff and spectators to stage games in the 30 home parks.”

Therefore, thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Manfred doesn’t have to force any kind of season. However, Manfred did admit to ESPN that it would be “a disaster for our game” for no 2020 campaign to take place.

2:48pm: Jeff Passan of ESPN has more info on roster size: Teams would be able to carry 30 players for the first two weeks, 28 for the next two and 26 for the rest of the season. They’d be able to use a total of 60 players during the season.

2:45pm: The deadline for the union to accept this 72-game offer is Sunday night, per Nightengale, who adds that players who fear contracting the coronavirus can choose not to play. However, only high-risk players would still get paid and accrue service time. If the union approves, which seems unlikely, the league will announce a season timeline and a resumption of a 21-day spring training within 48 hours, Rosenthal reports. This plan would also suspend draft-pick compensation for the 2020-21 offseason and expand the playoffs to as many as eight teams per league. If the playoffs are completed, players would receive 83 percent of prorated salaries.

2:33pm: MLB’s proposal promises players $1.5 billion if there’s a postseason, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. It’s $1.27 billion for the regular season, which would begin July 14 and conclude Sept. 27. Teams would be able to carry 29 players on their roster during the first month. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic adds that players receive 70 percent of prorated salaries for a 72-game regular season and 80 percent if the playoffs take place.

10:39am: In its latest offer to Major League Baseball, the MLBPA proposed an 89-game regular season with fully prorated salaries and playoff expansion. The league is expected to make a counter-proposal today, though it doesn’t seem like one that will move the needle enough for the union. MLB plans to offer the players a season of 70-plus games with 80 to 85 percent pro rata salaries and a playoff pool bonus, Karl Ravech of ESPN reports.

It’s expected to be a 72-game offer, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who adds the league will “significantly raise” the players’ share if the COVID-19 pandemic forces the cancellation of the postseason. However, “there’s no confidence” that the players will say yes to the league’s newest attempt, according to Heyman.

Prorated salaries continue to serve as the main roadblock between the parties, considering the union has insisted on receiving 100 percent of that pay for the season. With that in mind, the players obviously want as many games as possible to occur. The league, on the other hand, seems more willing to play a shorter schedule because of financial losses that will come as a result of a lack of fans in the stands. MLB could reportedly lose in the billions if the coronavirus prevents spectators at games. Furthermore, owners such as the Cardinals’ Bill DeWitt Jr. and the Cubs’ Tom Ricketts have publicly raised concerns over profits in recent weeks.

To the bewilderment of many, DeWitt claimed earlier this week that the baseball industry “isn’t very profitable.” Last month, Ricketts said that “about 70 percent of the revenue that comes into our organization comes in on day of game.”

Despite the ongoing disagreements between owners and players, commissioner Rob Manfred insisted this week, “We’re going to play baseball in 2020 — 100 percent.”

Under the agreement the owners and players made in March, Manfred has the ability to choose the length of a season (perhaps one as few as 40-plus games). While neither side wants it to come to that, the 11th hour is approaching, and if the owners and players don’t see eye to eye in talks soon, Manfred could take matters into his own hands in the coming days. Such a move likely would not bode well with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire after 2021, but Manfred may decide to risk it if leads to any kind of a 2020 season.