Major League Baseball says it will start spring training and the regular season as scheduled after the union rejected a proposal to delay the start of the season.

The date to report for spring training remains Feb. 17 with Opening Day on April 1.

On Friday, MLB proposed a 154-game schedule that would pay the players for 162 games and pause their arrivals to camp until March 22 and the first games until April 28. The offer also included expanding the playoffs from 10 to 14 teams and implementing the designated hitter in the National League.

The union immediately balked, believing the proposal would grant Rob Manfred more expansive powers to cancel games in the event of a potential COVID-19 outbreak.