The negotiations between the MLBPA and owners has come to another impasse, with commissioner Rob Manfred amending his stance that there would be a baseball season this year, saying "I'm not confident" on ESPN regarding the 2020 season beginning. SI's Tom Verducci shares the impact of not having a 2020 MLB season. 

"Why even bother?" You might be wondering if players themselves are asking that question if the season is as short as 48 games. The answer is that the financial incentive to return is enormous. Players who opt not to return and do not have an individual or family medical reason for doing so would probably not accrue service time. Service time is a critical element when it comes to player compensation is how they qualify for arbitration and for free agency not coming back. Also means an entire year away from competition, which could affect future performance and thereby future earnings. It also would defy teammates who do come back and it would signal to fans that they don't care - so why should the fans? The bottom line is that the cost of not coming back, even for a 48 game season, is very high.