Expect little enthusiasm from fans and players for a 48-game baseball season

The MLB Players Association on Saturday night rejected the league's latest proposal for restarting the season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the heated labor negotiations began, players haven't budged from asking for their full salaries, pro-rated based on season length, while the owners and the league countered with tiered reductions because of financial restraints stemming from the lack of gate revenue. This time, the players said they wouldn't counter offer, effectively ending the back-and-forth. But that doesn't mean there won't be a season; in fact, it makes it more likely baseball will be played in 2020, assuming health and safety protocols can be worked out.

Back in March, the sides struck an agreement which allowed the league to set a schedule if negotiations failed. "Further dialogues with the league would be futile," said MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark in a statement. "It's time to get back to work. Tell us when and where."

That sounds like good news for baseball fans, but don't be surprised if enthusiasm is muted. Under the March agreement, the season would be around 50 games, which is less than a third of a normal baseball season. Baseball seasons are long, in part, because of the fickle nature of the game — on any given day, a lesser team can defeat a better one, and the real separation in talent becomes clearer over a lengthy period of time. So, a shortened season, while perhaps unpredictable, may leave a lot of fans and players shrugging their shoulders by the end result, as suggested by former MLB pitcher Dallas Braden.