Padres Player Rep Austin Hedges Says Owners and MLBPA Have Made 'Serious Progress' on 2020 Season in Past 48 Hours

Baseball fans will be pleased to hear that MLB players seem motivated to overcome their differences with club owners so that the 2020 regular season can get underway by the desired early July start date.

San Diego Padres player representative Austin Hedges participated in a conference call between the MLBPA on Monday that discussed the league's proposal for an 82-game season. When speaking to the San Diego Union Tribune, the 27-year-old catcher acknowledged that considerable progress has been made in negotiations across the last 48 hours.

Hedges came away from the meeting feeling optimistic that players, or at least the majority of them, are willing to come together to formulate a plan that would see them benefit from the risk that comes with playing amid a global pandemic.

"It sounds like we’re finally coming up with something, at least making decisions," Hedges told the San Diego Union Tribune. "Instead of, ‘What if we do this?’ it’s, ‘Let’s do this.’ "

Hedges fully understands that players will be forced to take a handsome pay cut, but he also noted that the MLBPA is pushing to get as close to the original contract as possible.

This is exactly what fans needed to hear after a week comprised of unrelenting pessimism. It's unclear if players like Blake Snell, Mike Trout or Bryce Harper -- who have voiced their opposition for the proposal -- are on board, but it's relieving to know that others are putting in the necessary effort to reach a compromise.