MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke with Dan Patrick on 'The Dan Patrick Show' and opened up about what he would have done differently if he had a second chance to reach an agreement with the players back in March. Manfred opened up about the subsequent negotiations and says it is unfortunate they arrived at a "suboptimal result." Take a listen as the commissioner shares exactly how many owners did not want to have a season this year and answers some of the biggest questions surrounding the 2020 season, which will begin this month!
DanPatrick: "Even if the players accepted everything you offered...there was no way you were going to go above sixty games?"
Rob Manfred:"It's the calendar, Dan. We're playing sixty games in sixty-three days. I don't see, given the reality of the health situation over the past few weeks, how we were going to get going any faster than the calendar we're on right now. Look, we did get a sub-optimal result from the negotiations. The fans won't get an expanded postseason, which I think would have been good with the shortened season. The players left real money on the table. That's what happens when you have a negotiation that, instead of being collaborative, gets into a conflict situation."
DanPatrick: "How many owners didn't want to resume the season?"
Rob Manfred: "There were one or two that were opposed to the idea of playing for health reasons. The vast majority of our owners wanted to play. From the perspective of our owners, they're making an investment in terms of additional losses in order to get the game back on the field. We owe it to our fans."