MLB

New York Mets: Ali Sanchez Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals

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Ali Sanchez quickly found a new home after the New York Mets designated him for assignment on Thursday. The Mets shipped Sanchez to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations. Yadier Molina is on top of the depth chart, but Sanchez will battle Ivan Herrera and Andrew Knizner for the backup role.

Sanchez joined the organization as a 16-year old international free agent in 2013. He is known for his defensive presence but does not provide any offensive production. Injuries to Rene Rivera and Tomas Nido forced Sanchez to the big leagues in 2020 after six years in the minors.

Sanchez struggled on both sides of the ball in his five big league games. He recorded one hit in nine at-bats and was part of numerous defensive lapses. One of them resulted in Jon Berti stealing three bases in one inning. Sanchez has thrown out 46% of stolen base attempts in the minors but was 0-for-3 with two wild pitches and a passed ball last season.

James McCann, Tomas Nido, and Patrick Mazeika are the only catchers on the Mets 40-man roster. Bruce Maxwell and David Rodriguez are non-roster invites who will also join them in spring training.

New York Mets: FOCO’s New Tom Seaver Framed Showcase Bobblehead

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FOCO is releasing a new limited edition Tom Seaver New York Mets Framed Showcase Bobblehead as another way for fans to immortalize a legend. The bobblehead features Seaver’s trademark leg lift and his retired jersey behind him.

Last August, Seaver passed away due to complications of COVID-19 and Lewy body dementia. He was a Hall of Famer who won three Cy Young awards, was selected to 12 All-Star games, and helped lead the Mets to a 1969 World Series Championship. The greatest Met of all-time also won 311 games with a 2.86 ERA in 20 magnificent seasons.

The “Tom Terrific” bobblehead is a limited edition with only 241 available. Be sure to get your unique bobblehead of a Mets legend before they run out!

 

New York Yankees: Yankees will adjust to new MLB health protocols

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New York Yankees

The New York Yankees and the other 29 teams will be subject to new stricter rules for 2021. MLB has released new health protocols (operation manual) for spring training just a week away. These measures have been agreed upon by both the teams and the players. By players, I mean the MLBPA (players union). Last year you saw manager Aaron Boone wear a gaiter last season along with other managers and staff. A gaiter is a scarf-like cloth worn around the neck and can be pulled up over the mouth and nose. That type of mask is outlawed under the new protocol. Boone this season will wear a regular mask as outlined in the protocol.

“Neither gaiters nor masks with exhalation valves meet the definition of a face covering for purposes of the requirements in this Operations Manual,” the document reads. “Gaiters may continue to be worn on the field by players.”

The team will also play differently in spring training. The units located on the west coast of Florida will only play teams located there, and the west coast teams will play only teams on that coast. That means teams will be playing more games with fewer teams. For the Yankees, it means they will only be playing exhibition games between them and the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are all located from St. Petersburg south to Fort Myers, as noted by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

If it remains in place, the plan is to promote more safety by eliminating overnight stays and long bus rides where players and staff are jammed into buses. As it is, many veteran players use their own cars anyway.

Major League Baseball’s 2021 Operations Manual, collectively bargained with the MLB Players Association, will have many of the same rules as in the 60 game shortened season in 2020. However, there will be no universal DH in baseball. The rules adopted by both sides will be the seven-inning doubleheaders, the runner on the second base after nine innings, a 26th roster spot, and no spitting. Anyone watching baseball knows that the no spitting rule wasn’t really followed or enforces. This year the agreement will feature several new regulations, including the exclusion of gaiters as an acceptable face covering for non-players in uniform. Below are some of the latest wrinkles in the agreement. Each team will have an enforcement officer who will have their hands full enforcing these rules.

  • After hitters complained last year about the lack of in-game video, they will receive access to that through MLB-issued iPads “in a format that cannot be used to steal the catcher’s signs” via selective editing and/or pixelating. Don’t even think about it, Astros or Red Sox.
  • Players, managers, and staff (designated as “Covered Individuals”) who test positive for the coronavirus must isolate for at least 10 days. A Covered Individual identified as having been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID must quarantine for seven days and must test negative on the fifth day or later to be cleared. Last year’s agreement didn’t feature a specific amount of days, instead of relying on two negative tests to be allowed back. To enhance contact tracing, all Covered Individuals will wear Kinexon devices while on team property or traveling with the team.
  • Stricter rules are in place, as per a league-wide “Code of Conduct,” to govern the movement of players, managers, and coaches (qualified as “Covered Individuals”) outside the ballpark. They can’t attend indoor gatherings of 10 or more people; eat at indoor restaurants, bars, lounges, or go to fitness or wellness centers, entertainment venues, or casinos. During spring training, Covered Individuals and their households must quarantine at their homes with the exceptions of outdoor dining, individual outdoor physical activities, and a doctor’s visit as well as going to work. Those who violate the Code of Conduct will be subject to pay forfeiture for the days they are in quarantine due to their forbidden actions.
  • Each club must appoint at least one “Facemask Enforcement Officer” whose job will be to ensure everyone is wearing a mask when required (all times at the ballpark besides playing in the game). A third violation and every subsequent one of this rule will result in a $150 fine, sent to a charity mutually agreed upon by MLB and the MLBPA.
  • For exhibition games held between Feb. 27 and March 13, the defensive manager may call an inning “complete” before the third out if his pitcher has thrown at least 20 pitches. Also, in this time frame, games can be shortened to as few as five innings if both managers consent. Starting on March 14, games can be downsized to as little as seven innings.
  • There will be no overnight trips for teams during spring training. Most Florida-based clubs typically do at least one of these a spring. For road games, players will be encouraged to drive their own cars (a choice most veterans typically make anyway) to avoid crowding on a bus.
  • On March 17 (15 days before Opening Day, as the schedule currently stands), commissioner Rob Manfred will determine whether the Triple-A level of minor league ball will begin in concert with the major leagues. If Manfred declares that Triple-A ball won’t start on time, then the “Alternate Site” model from last year will resume. Either way, each team will designate an alternate site to be ready for usage.
  • Mental health resources will be provided to players and staff.

New York Mets: No Universal DH in Agreed Health and Safety Protocols

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The New York Mets desperately needed the universal designated hitter for the 2021 season but will not get their wish. Major League Baseball and the Players Association agreed on health and safety protocols for 2021, including 7-inning doubleheaders and a runner starting on second during extra innings.

MLB did not want the universal DH and felt it was not important towards COVID-19 safety like the other rule changes. For the Union to get the DH, they have to agree on an expanded postseason. Ironically, playing extra innings is a health risk but asking players to add more games to the postseason is perfectly fine. This ongoing chess match between Rob Manfred and Tony Clark is a competition between two people in well over their heads.

Will The Rules Stay?

Anyone against the extra-inning or doubleheader changes can hope they do not remain past 2021. It will not be easy to agree upon a new collective bargaining agreement before 2022. The future Zoom meeting will feature arguments on these topics, along with much more. There is good reason to assume the two controversial rules are just for the pandemic. The universal DH is a higher priority to the Union than playing fewer doubleheader innings or shortening extra-inning games.

The Mets suffer the most without the universal DH as they are stuck with Brandon Nimmo’s defense in center field. Unless Nimmo is traded before spring training, Jackie Bradley Jr. is off their radar. In a perfect world, Bradley plays center, Nimmo in left, Dominic Smith plays first, and Pete Alonso becomes the DH.

Signing Albert Almora Jr. meant the Mets saw this as the likely outcome. Bradley would be an expensive fourth outfielder with a multi-year deal. Almora gives the Mets flexibility, a bat for left-handed pitching, and a defensive replacement.

Since each position is at least two players deep, the Mets seem finished with adding position players through free agency. They may add a free agent pitcher (Jake Arrieta/Rich Hill), but their next position player move is likely through trade.

MLB reportedly finalizing revised Grapefruit League schedule, placing teams in separate “pods”

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There are only nine days left until pitchers and catchers report to start warming up those arms in preparation for the 2021 MLB spring training. After the delayed start last season due to COVID-19 and an ugly spat between the league and the players’ union, the expectation this time is that spring training goes as planned, with enhanced safety protocols.

As it turns out, and as several reporters explained on Monday morning, MLB is in the process of finalizing a revised Grapefruit League schedule. The intention of this is to minimize the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak as much as possible.

Teams will be placed in separate pods on East and West coasts of Florida, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The West coast teams in Florida will play 28 games, while the East coast teams in the state will play 24 games and four additional intrasquad matchups to make up for the missing four games.

MLB is trying to start with the right foot

If the MLB revised spring training schedule ends up happening, the New York Yankees would play lots of games against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Detroit Tigers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and other East coast teams, as Bryan Hoch explains.

MLB owners recently approached the MLB players association with a plan to play 154 games and a delayed start of the season (in late April) but the union turned it down, even though it included pay for the whole 162 games.

After the players rejected the proposal, MLB released a statement that confirmed the season is going to start as originally planned.

“We are moving forward and instructing our Clubs to report for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Championship Season, subject to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols,” the statement read.

Will MLB achieve its objective of completing the 2021 season without any complications due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?

New York Mets: Jackie Bradley Jr. Still Remains as an Option

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When the New York Mets signed Albert Almora Jr., many thought they were done adding outfielders to their roster this offseason. Jackie Bradley Jr. is still a viable option despite the designated hitter looming as baseball’s million-dollar question.

If Bradley is still on the market when/if the DH comes to the NL, the Mets should focus on signing him immediately. Bradley becomes an impossible signing without a DH because there will be too many players for three outfield spots.

MLB says the 2021 season will not have a universal DH, but the players union wants it. Pitchers are getting paid unprecedented amounts of money, and front offices need them protected at all costs. The union and MLB are at an impasse because the players do not want to trade an expanded postseason to get the universal DH.

Get The DH

The Mets would benefit from a universal DH more than any other team in the NL. It automatically improves their offense, but it makes their defense a strength for the first time in years. Bradley is not an offensive star, but his center field defense is stronger than anything else he could provide for the Mets.

The Mets signed Almora to be their fourth outfielder and play against left-handed pitching. Signing Almora to his deal leaves the Mets with more options to upgrade either third base or get another starter. Their next big move seems like a trade more than a free agent signing. With Kris Bryant consistently rumored to be traded at any point, he looks like a strong candidate for the Mets to bring in.

MLB: Celebrating black history month and the Negro Leagues, black players then and now

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All around MLB, as in the rest of America, Black History Month is being celebrated if you are a baseball fan. You can’t think about black history without thinking about The Negro Leagues and the great players who played during those days. I remember discovering when I was much younger that there was a Negro league and there were famous players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and Gus Greenlee.  During the Golden Age of black ball 1920-1950), the Negro leagues had as many as seven leagues that primarily hired black players and, to a lesser degree, Latins.

Those leagues deteriorated little by little for three reasons.  First, World War II took a disproportionate number of young blacks out of baseball, leaving mostly older players.  Lack of fans in the stands and the eventual integration of black players like Jackie Robinson into the major leagues. Black owners also found out that selling their best players to the majors was financially lucrative, so for these and other reasons, the Negro Leagues disappeared into oblivion.

But in celebration of Black History Month, let’s take a look at the records of some of these baseball greats:

Satchel Paige:

Leroy Robert Paige pitched in the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues in a baseball career that spanned 50 years. He passed away in 1982 at the age of 76. From 1924 to 1926, he played semi-pro ball for the Mobile Tigers. He began his professional career in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Southern League. He made a name for himself, being a right-hand pitcher that was like no other. Paige would sometimes have his infielders sit down behind him and then routinely strike out the side.

His big day came in 1948 when at the age of 42, he made his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians. He was the very first black pitcher in the American League. He played for the Cleveland Indians, the St. Louis Browns, and the Kansas City Athletics during his career. In his six years in the majors, he had a record of 28-31 and a very respectable ERA of 3.29. His record may have been better if he was just a starter, but he started games for all his teams, came in in relief, and closed games. He pitched right up to the age of 48, something that is unheard of today. In 1971 Satchel Paige was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Josh Gibson:

Unlike Satchel Paige, Gibson never played in the Major Leagues, but in the Negro Leagues, he was as famous as any player during his time. He was an excellent catcher, but he was mostly known for his ability to hit home runs, lots of them. He is said to have hit 800 home runs in his career. He never could enter the Majors because there was a gentleman’s agreement that would not allow blacks in the major leagues during the time he played.

During his playing career, he played for the Azules de Veracruz of the Mexican League, but 13 of his 15 years was with the National Negro League playing for the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays. With his play, he was often referred to as the “Black Babe Ruth,” some referred to Babe Ruth as the “White Josh Gibson.” Gibson died early in life at just 35 from a Brain tumor and stroke. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. His plaque reads: “Considered the greatest slugger in the National Negro Leagues.”

Oscar Charleston:

An intense focused, and intelligent man, Charleston was among the most renowned players of his time, tremendous power and contact hitter, and one of the finest defensive center fielders of all-time. His career batting average was .348, and he regularly finished among league leaders in both home runs and stolen bases. He was also known for his combative nature, getting into many brawls, including at least one memorable fight with an array of Cuban soldiers.

In 1932, Charleston became player-manager of the Pittsburgh Crawfords and presided over what some baseball historians consider the best Negro League team ever. His roster included Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Judy Johnson. The team went 99-36, and Charleston himself batted .363. A powerful hitter, Oscar won at least four batting titles and several home-run crowns. He is among the top five Negro Leaguers in batting average (.339) and home runs and the all-time leader in stolen bases. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

Presently there are 35 players from the Negro Leagues that are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When integration in  MLB started, it was slow as teams like the New York Yankees looked for black talent acceptable to fans, players like Elston Howard, who was nice, quiet, and a gentleman. It gained him complete acceptance from every Yankee.  That’s because he was black, yes, but white-like.  Many black players had to stay in different hotels than the white players, but the Yankees, upon hiring Howard, would only use hotels that allowed blacks.

Because Howard was fully accepted, he would go on to play twelve seasons with the Yankees. He was an All-Star 12 times, a Gold Glove Award winner twice, an MVP nominee five times, winning the MVP award. On August 3rd, 1967, Elston was traded to the Red Sox. He played a year and a half with the Sox before retiring. But before retiring, he would get to play his last World Series in his home town St. Louis. However, the Cards would beat the Sox. Howard retired quite wealthy for a black player as he had loads of endorsements later in his career.

With the acceptance of MLB black players, their numbers grew steadily from the 50s to the 80s. Still, something happened, and their numbers declined to the point that there are practically no black players in the Major Leagues (62), while the Latinos took their place to the point there are as many Latinos as whites in the game.  There are two significant reasons for this.  South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean area have cultures that foster sports.

Why so few Blacks in American baseball? One of the factors appears to be the overall decline in youth playing baseball. In 2002, nine million kids between the ages of 7 and 17 played baseball, as reported in a 2015 Wall Street Journal article citing National Sporting Goods Association figures. That figure had declined by 41% by 2013. With participation in decline, youth leagues and teams have been forced to shut down or merge, restricting access for poorer youths, making the sport whiter and more affluent.  Another reason is that inner-city kids, mostly black, have no place to nurture their talents.

When you look at different MLB teams, the lack of black players is alarming.  The Oakland Athletics have the most with four.  With the retirement of CC Sabathia and the exit of Cameron Maybin, the New York Yankees now only have one, Aaron Hicks, and the multi-cultural Aaron Judge.  The Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres have no black players, while the remaining teams have one or two.  CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, and some other black players are working to change this by enhancing the ability for inner-city kids to play ball by providing fields and equipment.

Baseball as a whole does not encourage players to take political stands or deal with controversial subjects that are more accepted in other sports.  For example, many football players took a knee to show solidarity with those reacting to social injustice.  Only one MLB player took a knee (Oakland’s Bruce Maxwell), and he is no longer in baseball.  Baseball is only focused on winning, and discourse is generally not accepted, making it difficult for black players to speak out on the present national protests over injustices blacks suffer at the hands of police.  You would expect outrage by black players over the recent deaths of unarmed black men, but it just doesn’t happen for the most part.

Ken Rosenthal and Doug Glanville of the Athletic recently have had conversations with retired players. The latter are freer to express their feelings without the fear of rejection or retaliation for their families. Even the most prominent African American baseball stars rarely speak out on sensitive matters during their playing careers. The sport’s culture discourages individuality in any form, and a player who publicly addresses racism often faces a backlash.

Adam Jones was the Orioles’ 2016 Roberto Clemente Award nominee, a five-time All-Star, and four-time Gold Glove, winner. The award recognizes a player “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” according to Major League Baseball. Regardless when Jones spoke out against racial injustice in 2017, he was subjected to having peanuts thrown at him and being called the “N” word throughout a game at Fenway Park in Boston.

“I just go out and play baseball,” Jones said. “It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being. I’m trying to make a living for myself and for my family.”

Once out of the spotlight, former MLB players are more inclined to speak out against injustice, as the Athletic reporters found out.  The Zoom conversations included:

• Glanville, a nine-year major-league veteran who works for various media outlets in addition to The Athletic and serves both on the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) and Connecticut State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

• Jimmy Rollins, a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and former National League MVP who now works as a studio analyst for TBS and broadcaster for the Phillies.

• Ryan Howard, a three-time All-Star and former NL MVP and Rookie of the Year who spent last season as a studio analyst for ESPN before leaving to focus on his business endeavors, including his sports investment firm, SeventySix Capital.

• Dontrelle Willis, a two-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year, works as a studio analyst for Fox Sports.

• Torii Hunter, a five-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner who works as a special assistant to baseball operations for the Twins.

• LaTroy Hawkins, a 21-year major leaguer who works as a special assistant to baseball operations for the Twins.

This is dramatically edited and with only summaries of some of the comments here.  If you want the whole discussion, go here.

Jimmy Rollins started by saying:

“Obviously, we’ve all been there. It’s just the culture of baseball. It’s not a clubhouse or a home where you’re actually very comfortable walking in saying those things or bringing up those things outside of your little group, three or four guys you can talk about it within the clubhouse or on the field during stretching. It really doesn’t leave that group.”

“As a player, you’re always trying to keep that clubhouse even-keeled and focused on the game. But there are plenty of times you’re going out there with something else on your mind. And having a couple of guys on the team is always good so that you can bounce that off them, so you don’t have to let it explode throughout the clubhouse if somebody does something that rubs you the wrong way.”

Dontrelle Willis added: I agree with you, J-Roll. For me, Jackie Robinson definitely set the tone as far as how to behave through racial adversity. One, because you don’t want to ruin the situation for the next person, for your kids. You don’t want to ruin the chance for someone to play at the highest level.

We’re always taught as a culture to be the bigger person. Have class. Understand the situation, not just for yourself. I always tried to be the bigger person, be a captain, be a leader. But now as I have children growing up and have seen all these things, I have more of a responsibility to myself and to my family to really teach them what’s going on in the real world, so they can have the tools and strength to live the best life they can.

As I said, this is just a smidge of the comments, but all the MLB players interviewed in the Zoom conversation echoed the same feelings.  White players don’t have to deal with this, whereas blacks deal with fear to some degree on the field and in their everyday life, just walking down the street. Until our culture changes and realizes we are all humans, maybe of different colors and from various societies, but all the same, with the same needs of acceptance, little will change.

I have seen a great change in my lifetime, but for those that have their air cut off by a kneeling knee, that change is not fast enough.  We need leaders that will tackle the big problems and stop injustice due to differences in skin color.  We can no longer turn a blind eye to racism in America.

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s Columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.  Follow me on Twitter @parleewilliam.

MLB Breaking News: Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers for big money

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trevor bauer, New York Yankees

In the biggest MLB news of the day, Trevor Bauer is no longer in free agency. The Los Angeles Dodgers have scooped the season’s biggest prize for an annual deal bigger than the Yankees Gerrit Cole. In the deal, he will be paid $40 million this year as the Dodgers stack their starting rotation after the San Deigo Padres stack theirs.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports it’s “a three-year deal that has opt-outs after Years 1 and 2.”

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports, “Trevor Bauer gets $102M for 3 years from Dodgers, per source. He has opt-outs after each of the first two years; $40M in 2021, $45M in 2022. He’ll be the highest-paid player in MLB history in ’21, then again in ’22.”

Stay tuned to EmpireSportsMedia.com for more on this deal as more details are released.

MLB Analysis: MLB and MLBPA just don’t like each other, you will pay

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After last year’s contentious negotiations between MLB and the players union, MLBPA, that went nowhere and ended up with the Commissioner mandating a 60 game season, it should come to no one’s surprise that the union and owners don’t like each other at all. Although there are many underlying issues, the big problem between the sides is that the players see everything the owners do leads to a salary cap that the players vehemently oppose. The owners see everything the union does is to milk more money from the owners. Yes, it’s all about money.

As a fan of the game, you can’t believe what either side says about anything; it’s all a ruse that leads back to it’s all about money. If the owners say up, the players say down, and all this contentiousness leads up to the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that expires at the end of this season. The owners have basically had their way with the union for the last several years, but that has come to an end, with the union trying to show strength by objecting to anything the owners want to do. Who will pay in the end are, of course, the fans. Because of all of this hostility, there is a 75% chance that the new CBA’s lack of agreement will likely lead to a baseball strike.

The last baseball strike was 26 years ago when the 1994 season came to an early end on August 12th. The fans were left with no postseason after watching their favorite teams all season long. It also caused the 1995 season not to start on time. Unless these two sides can find some common ground and not be as greedy on both sides, we are headed for another baseball strike.

To refresh your memory of the MLB 1994 New York Yankee season, the strike may have prevented the Yankees from winning another World Series. When the season was halted, the Yankees under Buck Showalter were 70 and 43, 1st in the East. Wade Boggs was hitting .342; pitcher Jimmy Key was 17-4 on the season. And reliever Mike Stanley was winning games at a .800 rate. The strike prevented Showalter from a World Series win; it prevented Key from a 20 win season. It also dismayed fans beyond belief. It was like reaching 200′ from the top of Mt. Everest and being told your time had run out, and you had to go home.

In the latest episode of the drama, the owners wanted to start the season a month later with a 154 game season with full 162 game pay for the players. As always, this ended up with another disagreement between Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred and the MLBPA executive director Tony Clark. Clark immediately refusing the owner’s request for a delay. The owners sighted that it would give more time for more arms to be vaccinated and create a safer environment for players, staff, and fans.

The union sighted that it was too late to delay the season, as players had already rented homes or had their cars on trains headed to Florida or Arizona. Of course, that was a factor, but only a minor one; here is where we get back to money. The union rejected it because it did not include pay for canceled games, delays, or if the season had to be canceled altogether.

So now we have a 162 game season with no expanded postseason, no universal DH. It is basically a return to the 2019 season rules.

All of this gobbledygook doesn’t seem believable on either side of the issue. If either side was concerned about health, which both sides say they are, why didn’t the union request a delay in the season to protect players? Why did the owners wait until the last moment to ask for a delay when they knew it would be rejected?

One player’s agent paints this MLB scenario:

“Players get to spring training. They go to the market to stock the refrigerator of their rentals. They go out to dinner, some go out to bars, some go to the mall, some to other things. Cumulatively that will exponentially increase the odds of some player getting (COVID-19) and transmitting it.

“How long before a camp is closed? How long before games are canceled? How long before spring training is delayed? What happens if it then drags into the season? More importantly, what happens if someone becomes seriously ill? How is any of those things defensible if it was all avoidable?”

The bottom line is that there is no way to know if, by delaying the season, any of this could be avoidable, but it certainly would make the likelihood less probable. This is just another example of how MLB and the MLBPA could not come to an agreement for the benefit of the game.

New York Mets: Is Rich Hill Worth The Risk As A Depth Piece?

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There once was a time when the New York Mets employed a 41-year old left-handed pitcher named Tom Glavine. With Rich Hill on the Mets’ radar, he could become the oldest pitcher to start for the Mets since 43-year old Bartolo Colon in 2016.

Hill is still an effective pitcher, but it just depends on how much body wants to let him compete. Since 2015, Hill has a 2.92 ERA but has only averaged 16 starts and 84 innings. Hill is a good replacement if the Mets are not sold on Joey Lucchesi as their fifth starter. He will pitch well until Noah Syndergaard returns, and there is no long term commitment with the veteran.

Hill still has one of the best fastball/curveball combinations despite barely breaking 90 on the radar gun. His curveball is very loopy and about 15 mph slower than his fastball. This allows Hill to work up in the zone with his heat and keep hitters off balance despite the lack of velocity.

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers are the other teams with interest in Hill. Like Trevor Bauer, the Mets will not outbid their competition when their current rotation is set for the upcoming season.