The Major League Baseball Players Association has rejected the latest MLB proposal for the universal designated hitter and expanded playoff format, sources confirm to ESPN.
The news was first reported by MLB Network.
The union’s stance has always been that it didn’t want to talk about a universal DH trade – which benefits a group of players – in exchange for elaborate playoffs. Nevertheless, MLB has included the two items in its proposal, and that concept has been rejected by source.
The universal DH and extended playoff format were rolled out for 2020 during the 60-game shortened regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
NL teams have used a DH when playing in AL parks since interleague play was instituted in 1997.
MLB implemented a 16-team playoff format for the 2020 post-season. The two best teams in each division, plus the two remaining teams with the best records in each league, made up the eight-team fields in the US and national leagues. The division winners were the top three seeds in each competition, with the teams in second place as seeds 4 through 6, and the remaining two qualifiers had Nos. 7 and 8.
The working relationship between the two sides remains tense, compared to much of the interplay since the 1994-95 players’ strike resolution. Last summer, negotiations about the shortened 2020 season and player compensation publicly lasted for many weeks. As MLB and the union seek to resolve their unresolved issues before the 2021 season, this looms up: the current collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2021.
ESPN’s Buster Olney contributed to this report.