Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association reached a deal Thursday addressing many of the outstanding questions facing the game in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown, including how the two sides will address a shortened (or perhaps altogether canceled) 2020 season. The specifics of this agreement still aren’t fully known, due in part to the ongoing fluidity of how baseball and the players’ union will have to adjust to future events, though we’ve already learned quite a few ways in which the sport’s structure will be altered for this wholly unique season. Some of the latest details…
- ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel published a highly-recommended breakdown of the agreement, including an explanation of how MLB’s $170MM advance payment will be distributed to players if the season is cancelled entirely.
- Another key insight from Passan and McDaniel: “The arbitration system will be adjusted to consider lessened counting statistics because of the shorter season, and salaries secured during the 2021 offseason through arbitration won’t be used in the precedent-based system going forward.” No further detail is provided regarding the adjustment to the arbitration system, which in a sense is already set up to consider lessened counting statistics. For example, if Kris Bryant hits 20 home runs in the course of an 81-game 2020 season, will that be viewed as the equivalent of a 40 home run campaign? Passan and McDaniel’s other arbitration-related revelation – that the upcoming batch of arbitration salaries will be excluded as future precedents – implies that players may not have the luxury of getting a 40 home run type raise for a 20 home run half-season.
- The ESPN duo also notes that 2020 luxury tax payrolls will be assessed “base[d] it on what full-season salaries were supposed to be, not prorated salary payment.” This is notable in that a team like the Yankees, who are way above the luxury tax threshold, will still be taxed even though they will actually pay out much less than $208MM in salaries. The actual tax paid will be prorated, according to Passan and McDaniel. The writers also explain, “And if there is no season, there will be no taxes owed, implying every team would reset to the lowest competitive balance tax threshold.” Before the coronavirus struck, teams such as the Red Sox and Cubs basically devoted their offseasons to getting under the threshold and resetting their tax rate for the future.
- Speaking of veteran players on minor league contracts, several of those deals contained player opt-out dates set five days prior to the Opening Day that never occurred. MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (Twitter link) has heard speculation that the league could simply push those deadlines to five days prior to the season’s new start. With no official policy yet in place, we’ve seen different approaches from various teams to this issue, ranging from some clubs agreeing to delay opt-out decision dates independently, to some teams officially selecting a non-roster player’s contract in order to confirm their place on the Major League roster.
- The MLB/MLBPA agreement also has a provision for players who aren’t on a 40-man roster but are on guaranteed contracts, the Athletic’s Zach Buchanan tweets. Such players as the Diamondbacks’ Yasmany Tomas “will receive more advance pay than a minor-leaguer,” though it isn’t clear if they would receive the full $5K daily salary through April and May. Tomas was set to make $17MM in 2020, which was the last season of his six-year, $68.5MM deal signed back in December 2014. Arizona outrighted Tomas off its 40-man roster in each of the last two seasons, and he has appeared in only four Major League games for the D’Backs in that time.
- For a high-level explainer of this week’s agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, check out Jeff Todd’s video here.
The biggest losers in all of this baseballwise will be the Dodgers, Reds and anyone else who acquired a rental player
And if they play games with 29 man rosters the Dodgers will be loaded because of their depth.
The only “rental” player you could say the Reds have is Bauer, who they got at the deadline last year and could just as easily re-sign after this season. Not sure how you can lump them into this category for 2020.
pic—Castellanos has an opt out after 2020 so you can lump him in to this as well. He alone may put the Reds on this list.
it’s unfortunate but who actually cares right now. Many fans won’t be around when sports start up again. Everyone, stay smart, stay safe.
“Who really cares right now”
I do. You may only discuss the virus right now but I try to escape where I can and do things I enjoy, like speculate about baseball
I try to deflect too but in other ways. Obviously I also check this site to take a deep breath. Thus, your point is well taken and I should have just moved on. Again everyone stay safe.
The Reds acquired Bauer at the deadline. They were, for all intensive purposes, out of playoff contention. They didn’t get much out of him for those 2 months. He was a preemptive acquire for this season. If you don’t see that; you’re the one with the problem!
This stings the Reds severely.
“all intensive purposes”
There are many losers in a year without baseball. Mookie will get his money in 2021 but how about other mid tier or lower free agents looking for a score after a season without revenues? How about all the young players losing a year of development? Older prospects like Bobby Dalbec who without an opportunity to perform might get bypassed. Ballpark workers. Years from now an on the brink hall of fame candidate might be a season of home runs away from a magic number like 500 home runs. It happened to Fred McGriff who hit 493 but missed two months of his prime during the 1994 strike.
Unless I missed something, is there something covering what happens with pending free agents if there is no season? Do they still reach free agency?
yes. covered in a prior article
Yes, it is discussed in the Jeff Passan/Kiley McDaniel article linked to in the first bullet point
@ Bleedsblue, per the other posts, the answer to your question has been published, also at length in the Athletic by Andrew Baggerly. Unfortunately, your team will lose Mookie to free agency (unless they sign him this upcoming offseason) whether there is any baseball played (or not) in 2020. I am sincere in my sentiment here. I am a Giants’ fan (but not a Dodger hater at all). I was psyched that Mookie was now in the NL West, even if on “another” team. I wanted to watch him play this season! Dodgers stand to lose a lot the longer there are no games in 2020.
i dont think Tomas is hurting for cash, same as Rusney Castillo.
Good for them. Owners didn’t have a gun pointed at their heads when they were signed
Have the Yankees play their season at TD Park in Omaha , Mets can go play up North in the Old Expos Park , put the Mariners in the Alamodome in San Antonio since they play out west. I don’t see their cities being ready by the Summer . Yes this seems crazy and the fans can call me idiotic all you want but this is what’s best for the league if we’re going to try this season out ,
You may be missing the point that these players/team personnel have homes in their respective cities. If the entire U.S. doesn’t have full clearance where it’s deemed safe to resume baseball, you’re risking bringing infections to these yet affected cities. There’s always a bigger picture to look at.
If the season is shortened , I’m sure their teams can help them with accommodations , renting out somewhere to stay , and I’m sure a lot those guys don’t call NY home . But at this rate canceling the season is probably the best thing to do
Just because Omaha hasn’t been hit hard yet doesn’t mean it won’t be a week from now. Florida didn’t look bad just a few days ago, how are things going there now?
I really am starting to wonder if they’ll cancel the season. I wonder how late in the season they would actually start it. I can’t imagine the regular season lasting a month or two
Patra has the map
That’s called Thursdays in my household.
I think the question at this point is, will college football even have a season? will there be any sports in 2020?
College football – who cares???
Lol yeh I’d worry about the NFL first
So, teams that devoted their offseason to become tax compliant inevitably wasted their time. The team or teams that didn’t, get their tax reset for next year regardless.
That’s a decent concession considering losing the season. It wouldn’t upset me even though my Red Sox did a lot to get under that tax.. and now every team would be under the tax. That’s cool there’s a lot more going on and it would be okay to have every team reset… even The Big Spenders like the Yankees and Dodgers. Sounds like a good plan to me.
Just watched this meeting from 3/27/2002. It’s a meetings of top officials from the local state university healthcare system (hospitals), which provides 65% of the care in the state, so it is very representative. This meeting demonstrates what hospital administrators are going through to deal with and plan for COVID-19 healthcare, with particular emphasis on masks, beds (acute care and ICUs), and doctors/staff. You will hear the level of seriousness and attention being given to covid care. You will see the chart that shows projections that we are in the foothills of a Matterhorn sized surge of cases/deaths ahead of us leading to a projected peak on May 12. You will see what the hospital system is planning to prepare for this onslaught, including the realization that they may well be overwhelmed and have to make very difficult choices in care. You will also see that there is a projected return to normalcy around June 15, assuming social distancing is effectively undertaken by the vast majority of the populace (I would say more than it is today; that should come as we experience the surge, which should open everyone’s eyes). For those who are projecting a MLB season for 2020, this would be the ray of hope. If you want to be an informed participant in the conversation, unlike some of the denier dopes we have aruond here, I highly recommend you take your place as a fly on the wall of this meeting. It will be well worth your time. Click on the link for the 3/27/2020 meeting.
riverbendmedia.com/uofu/COVID-19.html
As I have been saying, I get my information from the experts, no armchair internt wannabes like thetruth.
i wouldn’t be too sure on those projections. theyre probably using numbers from other countries, and the state-by-state (and even county by county) approach might move that timeline in either direction.
Part of the problem here is that there are two competing concepts, preparing for the virus and getting the economy back to normal. The preparing part is way more important right now. It is likely much more predictable as well. The other side of this is a total crapshoot given that we’re barely starting to climb the mountain. Looking down the road might be tempting but it’s irresponsible. The federal government has screwed this up so bad who knows where the other side is for sure. They will continue to lie to us with no idea how ridiculous they are being every stinking day.
The reality of this situation is that without a vaccine in place, as soon as we loosen the restraints on travel, this may all start again. A vaccine is well over 12 months away. People need to pay attention to China which is about 2 months ahead of us. Last week they began trying to get back to normal, so let’s see if this begins anew for them and learn from their experience.
@Jim, I agree 100%. Without a vaccine, “life as we knew it” won’t be happening for at least 12-18 months. However, looking to China for direction is a fools errand. They have been lying and covering up their #s from the start. Thus their data is incomplete and inaccurate. Unfortunately…….I imagine the 2020 sports’ season has ended!
Screw China. Remember when they had a big hissy fit because the Rockets guy tweeted about Hong Kong? They have no credibility.
Dodgers probably wish now that the Betts deal fell apart.