baseball

MLB: Time is ticking on a deal

by

It’s now been over a week since the MLB players union began negotiations with the league, and things seem to be at a standstill. We haven’t learned much new information since the first day of talks. With an early July start in mind, time is ticking to get a deal done.

For the season to start in early July, you would need a second spring training to begin in early to mid-June. That feels like a long ways away, but here we are now almost at Memorial Day. If a deal isn’t done soon, the proposed start dates of the season could be pushed back, and the league could be back to the drawing boards.

From what we have heard from players like Trevor Bauer and Blake Snell, the holdup is the money agreement. Owners want to pay the players little to no money when players already agreed on prorated salaries. The owners don’t want to lose money, even if it’s just one season.

Will they lose some money? Absolutely. Will they make it back within a few years? Absolutely. The goal is to have fans in the stands by 2021, and maybe late 2020 if a rapid treatment or vaccine is approved.

Also, you have to have a deal done in enough time to allow for players to report to camp, especially foreign players. With travel restrictions still in place, it will be harder for players to re-enter the country if they left the country to go home.

If everyone wants the MLB to start in July, time is ticking to get a deal done and get the season underway.

MLB: Owners approve 2020 season proposal, now up to players association

by

Ken Rosenthal and other sources have reported that the MLB owners have approved a proposal for the 2020 season. Now, the proposal will move to the players association on Tuesday for voting and final negotiating.

Included in the plan will be around 82-regular season games with an expanded postseason and a universal DH. All parties will be taking pay-cuts, from players to executives to even umpires. Teams will likely be playing in 10-team divisions, and only play division rivals during the regular season. All games would be played in home stadiums, if safe to do so.

With an 82 game season, that still lines the postseason up for October. The plan for right now would be to play those games at home stadiums, but weather and the second wave of coronavirus could change that. Some people are worried that the postseason could be postponed from a second wave. Joel Sherman said that there are possible concerns about TV ratings with other sports returning.

The big day

Tuesday seems to be the big day. The day that we have been waiting for months. The plan will be moving into the players association for voting, and if players vote yes, then the season will be on. But right now, we have no idea how players will react.

From what it sounds like, players will be able to live at home and see their families, so that’s a good thing. That was one of the concerns from early on. If anything, players may have more time to see family with less extensive travel. But right now, the concern seems to be whether everyone will follow social distancing guidelines. That could concern some players, and they could also be nervous about possibly infecting coaches and support staff that are a part of the vulnerable population.

Also, players may have issues with how they are getting paid. That seems to be negotiable on Tuesday, but as of right now, players could see as much as a 50% pay-cut.

In my personal opinion, I think most players will approve the plan. I think some will be unhappy with parts of it, but the majority of players will vote yes on the plan. Again, just my opinion.

We’ll see what happens, but let’s hope and pray they vote yes.

 

 

Reports: 2021 WBC to be cancelled

by

Multiple sources have reported that the 2021 WBC (World Baseball Classic) has been canceled. The event will be played next in either 2023 or 2025.

“The tournament was cancelled. It is not the priority right now,” said a source to Enrique Rojas of ESPN.

This comes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams would have likely not had the proper time to prepare, and next offseason will probably be shortened due to the 2020 MLB season being postponed. If the 2020 season runs later, that could significantly cut down offseason time and make the event hard to take place.

Also, Taiwan and Japan were expected to host games, and it likely would not have been safe enough to travel out of the country. It also would increase the risk of coronavirus being brought into America even more from other countries, especially if there isn’t a vaccine by next March. Phoenix and Miami also were expected to host games, with the finals taking place at Marlins Park.

It’s certainly disappointing, but by no means unexpected. They are doing what’s best for the players and the country, and international travel may likely still be unsafe come March. The WBC is a great event, and hopefully, it will indeed be played in 2023 and 2025. It’s fun to be able to see players join forces with other stars, representing their home countries, and just having fun. It’s an excellent way for players to get prepared for the season and see some players that we haven’t seen before making a name for themselves.

But luckily, the MLB will be back soon.

 

MLB: Progress is being made on a deal for the 2020 season

by
New York Yankees, Brett Gardner

According to reports, the MLB is beginning to work out the final details for the 2020 season. On Monday, the league will be on a conference call with representatives from all 30 teams, and the proposal could be sent to the players union as early as Tuesday. From there, a vote will decide whether the league goes forward with the plan.

From what we are hearing, the season will be about 80 games, so about half a regular season. If the league starts in early July, that will end the regular season around the same time as usual. From there, a 14 team playoff format would be adapted.

The regular season will feature three divisions; the East, Central, and West. The AL and NL teams of each division will combine to form the divisions. For example, the Yankees would be in the same division as usual but combined with the NL East. Regular season games would be against division teams only, and in as many home ballparks as possible. If the Postseason is indeed in October, home stadiums should still be feasible in terms of weather.

Also, ending the season around when it would end usually will be good in the fact that it won’t shorten the offseason and push back 2021 Opening Day more. Opening Day in 2021 will likely be pushed back anyway, with it being a World Baseball Classic year (WBC).

Something that Dr. Anthony Fauci has mentioned before is the possibility of limited attendance at games. Fans would have to space out around the ballpark to social distance, but it may be a way for teams to make some revenue and allow people to see a game.

It’s great to hear that the MLB is nearing a plan, and hopefully, it’s a plan that the players association will approve.

MLB: Teams telling players to “get ready”

by
New York Yankees, Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton

Jeff Passan reported on Wednesday on SportsCenter that several MLB teams are telling their players to “get ready.” Passan said that right now, there isn’t an official date, but there is increased speculation about a Spring Training report date of June 10th with Opening Day on July 1st. Former MLB player Trevor Plouffe tweeted that he’s heard those dates of late.

Passan also said that “the expectation is that MLB is going to be coming to the Players Association with a plan in the coming days, to a week-plus or so.” This basically means that if approved by the Players Association, the season will be set.

However, several executives are becoming a bit worried about increasing coronavirus numbers in states that are relaxing restrictions, per Ken Rosenthal. Severe enough outbreaks could shutdown the season again, making it “difficult for baseball to resume.”

Cases will likely increase in most states as they open up, at least for some time. With so many people needing to work to support their families, most states have had no option but to reopen. Strict social distancing and travel guidelines in reopened states need to be enforced to slow the spread while making the economy function.

If states open and they can’t control the spread with guidelines, then everything will have to get shut down to regain control of the situation. That would include baseball and other sports, at least in those states.

Even with increasing cases in some states, the MLB is still planning to go ahead with the season. We have no idea how long the season will be, but it will be better than nothing. Baseball will have an opportunity to be the center of attention again and try to gain back fans they’ve lost along the way.

MLB likely to use home ballparks for spring training 2.0

by
New York Yankees

Bob Nightengale reported that major-league baseball teams will likely use home ballparks for a second spring training. This would be in place of going to normal spring sites in Florida or Arizona.

The plan has a lot of advantages but doesn’t lack drawbacks. Teams wouldn’t have to spend as much by staying put, and the season would also start a bit sooner. However, there isn’t the option to use multiple fields like at normal spring sites. The entire organization would be condensed to the major league park.

Nightengale also reported that the MLB is working to reach an agreement with the umpires union. Some veteran umpires that make close to half a million dollars a year my end up taking a salary cut. It would be difficult to cut the salaries of all umpires because young umpires can’t afford a significant pay cut. And, it’s also very likely that players and top executives take pay cuts.

While a lot of sports have a lot of confusion about restarting, the MLB seems to have the clearest plan about getting going. They will be the first of three major in-season sports to resume. The NBA and NHL are in funky spots since those sports have more contact and are in the thick of their seasons. The PGA Tour and NASCAR have plans to restart in the coming weeks, but it’s relatively easy to social distance in those sports. The UFC is working on a restart, and the WNBA has suspended training camp, which was supposed to begin on April 26th.

We’re learning more and more by the day about the MLB restart plan, and hopefully, we’ll know some set dates soon.

 

Report: 2020 minor-league season to be canceled

by

Joe Doyle of SB Nation has reported that agents have been notified that there will not be a 2020 minor-league baseball season.

Major League rosters will be expanded for the condensed season, and that there will be a developmental league based at spring training sites for minor leaguers. It’s unclear whether the developmental league will include all minor-leaguers or only those at higher levels of ball.

It’s not clear at this time about how minor-leaguers will be paid, nor how the developmental league will work.

Right now, the MLB is finalizing a plan to resume spring training in a few weeks for a late June return. The rumored plan is to have three divisions of 10 teams and to play as many games as possible in each team’s home ballpark. Doing this reduces travel and maximizes the schedule.

The schedule is likely to have around 100 games and a possibility of weekly doubleheaders. Players represented by the agents told Doyle that they are “expecting to report in the next three weeks.”

Right now, most parts of Florida and some parts of Arizona are relaxing stay-at-home orders and beginning to reopen. These are the locations where spring training facilities are located.

Doyle also said that an agent told him that the “MLB is clearly following in the footsteps of the NBA in making this happen. They plan on doing so while following social distancing guidelines.”

The NBA facilities are reopening on May 8th in areas where stay-at-home restrictions are being relaxed.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more information.

New York Yankees: One giant infield flaw

by
New York Yankees, Gleyber Torres

The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball and do many things very well. But, one of the things that the team lacks is infield defense. DJ LeMahieu is a stellar defender and the clear-cut best defensive infielder. Otherwise, the team is lacking in that department.

Gio Urshela is one of those guys who makes a lot of the tough plays but struggles on some of the routine ones. He had a defensive runs saved rating (DRS) of just one in 2019. His career DRS is a -2, and it’s somewhat surprising that he was in the big leagues for a few years before 2019 since his offensive was previously a huge struggle. His fielding percentage was also just a .954 in 2019.

Urshela’s third-base counterpart of Miguel Andujar is much much worse, coming in with a league-low -21 DRS rating in 2018. If it weren’t for that, he likely would’ve won Rookie of the Year that year. Across the diamond is Luke Voit, who had a -12 DRS rating in 2019.

At shortstop is Gleyber Torres, who had a -13 DRS rating in 2019. However, he platooned between shortstop and second base with the Didi Gregorius injury and was significantly better at shortstop. His DRS rating was a -1 at shortstop (still not particularly great), where he will be at for the foreseeable future. He also played more games at shortstop in 2019.

And of course, you can’t forget about Gary Sanchez. His defensive ratings aren’t awful, but he makes up a lot of his positive ratings on his arm and awareness. His career caught-stealing percentage is 33%, but it was down to 23% in 2019. His career-high was 41% in 2016. He has 47 passed balls in 306 career games, which is, uh, concerning. Sanchez also led the league in catcher errors in 2017 and 2019. He only caught 90 games in 2019, which is also somewhat concerning.

The Yankees don’t have very many flaws, but infield defense is for sure one of them.

 

 

MLB: Season plans should be finalized in a month

by
New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the MLB should have a restart plan by the end of May if the coronavirus situation keeps improving at the rate that it currently is. He said that if a plan is in place by then, a regular-season start could be possible around the fourth of July.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has been pretty confident throughout the entire COVID-19 situation that baseball will return at some point in 2020. He just isn’t sure to what extent.

From what Passan has heard from league and team executives, a 100 or so game schedule is the most likely from July-October with the postseason taking place in November in warm weather locations. It still may be possible to play regular-season games in home stadiums, but they will have time to figure that out.

Whether it’s with fans or without fans, playing at home stadiums is the best-case scenario for everyone. Easier on the TV crews and media, and players would likely be able to live at home with family and not in hotels, isolated.

The postseason would likely be expanded to give more bubble teams a shot. The DS, CS, and World Series would likely remain the same, but a few more best of three or winner takes all games like the Wild Card game may be added earlier on in the postseason.

To make up for a lot of lost money, expect to see a lot more games on national television. Games would likely be scheduled into different TV slots so different carriers can pick up more games. That would be another win-win for teams, fans, and networks.

The MLB has a lot to figure out over the next month, but they have plenty of ideas that will work for all parties.

MLB and MiLB nearing deal to cut 42 minor league teams

by

Sources tell Baseball America that the MLB and the MiLB are nearing a deal to cut 42 minor league baseball teams. The deal will reduce the number of affiliated teams from 160 to 120, with two independent teams entering affiliated ball.

The MiLB will need to reorganize and relocate a lot of team affiliates and leagues. Four AA teams will be cut, including the Mets affiliate in Binghamton, New York. Four high-A teams will be eliminated, six low-A teams, 11 short-season teams, and 17 rookie ball teams.

Each organization will have four teams in four different levels of minor league ball. It sounds like rookie-ball and A-short season ball will merge into rookie-leagues based at spring training sites. A-short season teams were mainly comprised of recent draft picks, and the season would start in June each year.

Teams eliminated (per Baseball America):

Rookie ball:

Billings Mustangs
Bluefield Blue Jays
Bristol Pirates
Burlington Royals
Danville Braves
Elizabethton Twins
Grand Junction Rockies
Great Falls Voyagers
Greeneville Reds
Idaho Falls Chukars
Johnson City Cardinals
Kingsport Mets
Missoula Osprey
Ogden Raptors
Orem Owlz
Princeton Rays
Rocky Mountain Vibes

A-short:

Auburn Doubledays
Batavia Muckdogs
Connecticut Tigers
Lowell Spinners
Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
State College Spikes
Staten Island Yankees
Tri-City Dust Devils
Vermont Lake Monsters
Williamsport Crosscutters

Low-A:

Beloit Snappers
Burlington Bees
Clinton LumberKings
Lexington Legends
Hagerstown Suns
West Virginia Power

High-A:

Lancaster JetHawks
Daytona Tortugas
Florida Fire Frogs
Frederick Keys

AA:

Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Chattanooga Lookouts
Erie SeaWolves
Jackson Generals

Teams added:

St. Paul Saints                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Sugar Land Skeeters

 

The report doesn’t state which level of ball the two new teams will be at.