MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) continue to settle their differences and have reached an agreement after weeks of long discussions  It’s good news that shows how cooler heads can prevail, and is a step toward ensuring that there won’t be anything standing in the way of baseball, at least not from the standpoint of how the league owners and players work together – the threat of another coronavirus suspension still lingers. While working on putting the final pieces of the puzzle together, MLB has also been working on another deal, this one to get the league into the land down under.

MLB, MLBPA Have Reached An Accord

MLB and the players union were finally able to reach an agreement in terms of issues like vesting options and roster bonuses during a reduced 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.  The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal said in a news report, “Vesting options for the 2021 campaign will still vest at full amounts but the threshold for vesting will be prorated in the 60-game season.” This decision will benefit all parties involved even though it was a difficult one.

These discussions were serious because they had to do with contract conflicts among the players.  Hopefully, these issues are done, and the league can move forward in hopes of getting the season underway.  It is understandable that right now MLB is not in the best financial moment.

The season had to be stopped in March during springtime because the pandemic started to spread all across US and, due to budget restrictions, the league and players’ union had some hostile discussions that lasted weeks before an agreement was reached.  However, it does not mean that the league is going into bankruptcy.  MLB is one of the most stable leagues in the US, and it never stop making money.

MLB Eyes An Expansion Down Under

MLB is also considering expanding its business into Australia.  The deal will be eventually established with Tabcorp, which will become the only wagering member of the baseball league in Australia.  The idea is that TAB will have access to MLB Network and the 24/7 television channel programming to stream down under.  The contract will include ten live broadcast games per week with the games and league data delivered through partner Sportradar, and the broadcasts via Sky, which offers racing and sports events for TAB.

This is good news for MLB fans because baseball is quite popular down under, or at least it has gained an enormous popularity in the past few years.  Baseball is not the only American sports that has partnerships in Australia the NBA and NFL are down under, as well.  The baseball dealt with Australia will strengthen customer and fan relations with Americans sports throughout the world.

Adam Rytenskild, Tabcorp’s director of wagering and media, states that Australia shows a growing demand for US sports, especially among TAB customers.  He adds, “Baseball is America’s national pastime and this ground-breaking MLB deal, which complements our NBA and NFL partnerships, helps us to fulfill our ambition of being the home of US sport in Australia and to deliver superb experiences for our customers, both in venues and digitally via the app and website.”  In addition, Australian customers down under will have access to great things like exclusive MLB content including game tickets, player experiences, contests and more.

It’s Almost Time For Baseball

The season is supposed to be back on July 23.  Some changes were implemented by commissioner Rob Manfred, such as the 60-game season.  This will allow teams to compete only their divisional rivals and interleague games against corresponding divisions.  The possibility of seeing live baseball almost seems surreal, given the current health concerns in the US, but fans everywhere are hopeful that the bats will start swinging and the balls will start flying as planned.