MLB officially to return for 2020 season after players agree to deal

It's official. Baseball is set to be played with a 60-game season this year.

The MLB Players Association agreed Tuesday to a spring training 2.0 starting July 1, and signed off on health and safety protocols as the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues throughout the world.

MLB Opening Day will occur on either July 23 or 24.

ESPN's Karl Ravech was first to report an agreement was in place between the two sides.

The players rejected the latest offer from ownership Monday, putting the decision in commissioner Rob Manfred's hands. The league then announced later that night the owners voted unanimously to have a season.

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This essentially ends months of public fighting between the players and owners after the season originally was delayed due to the coronavirus. After bickering back and forth, baseball's return date is three weeks later than originally intended. The hope was to have a July 4 Opening Day, but that now is out the window. 

While it's true baseball is back, concerns will not go away. We know the "when" and "where" about baseball, but we don't know the "how."

That will be seen in the next month and beyond as the country continues to deal with this pandemic. The crux of it all, though, is baseball appears to be back.

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