4:35pm: MLB’s latest proposal includes a delayed draft and would provide players with the same service time they accrued in 2020, tweets Rosenthal. It seems the league aims to contend that such a proposal only shorts players who’d make their MLB debut in 2020, although notable mid- and late-season call-up would also consequently fall shy of a full year of service. Second-half call-ups like Bo Bichette, Gavin Lux, Jesus Luzardo and many others would receive some big league service time under that scenario but still fall shy of the requisite 172 days of service that constitutes a full year. It remains to be seen if that’s a trade the union is willing to make.
That proposed scenario would be a nightmare scenario for a club like the Dodgers, who traded young talent and took on considerable financial obligations in order to acquire the final season of club control over Mookie Betts. It’s unclear just how the league and union would allay any concerns that would surely arise from the Dodgers and other organizations who traded for one-year rentals.
1:01pm: We checked in last night on the latest talks between MLB and the MLBPA regarding the many complicated issues presented by the coronavirus-driven stoppage of play. While it seems players will be assured of recording full service time if the season is played, there’s plenty more to sort out.
ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel provide an update on the latest plans, and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman has penned a column with additional updates of his own. Unfortunately, the overriding concern — the ability to safely stage games — remains wholly subject to the unknown whims of the future.
The goal is to shoehorn in as many games as possible once that becomes possible. At the moment, it seems the most optimistic outcome would be a June resumption of play, with July perhaps more likely. That’ll dictate how many contests can be staged.
To maximize the number of games, the plan appears to call for numerous double-headers and perhaps even an accelerated second Spring Training. Active roster expansion would be offered to help allay concerns with overworked pitching. The postseason would be pushed into the deep fall, or perhaps even the winter, at neutral sites. As Sherman points out, the league has some concern about television broadcast rights when major networks will be carrying key games from other sports (e.g. Sunday NFL coverage).
It’s not just teams and the league that are pushing to do as much as possible. In large part, all parties are in this together. MLB’s most powerful agent, Scott Boras, still thinks a complete season is plausible, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. Even a mid-summer start would permit a 144 or even 162-game regular season and full postseason slate, says Boras — if the tail end was played at neutral sites right through late December.
The talks also involve quite a few other matters, some of which are more concrete. MLB has committed to advancing $150MM in salary to be distributed to 40-man roster members. There’s also consideration of issuing payment to minor-leaguers at something close to their regular salary for at least some stretch of time.
So long as there’s a season to be played, it stands to reason that most matters will be sorted out so long as there’s sufficient good will between the sides. But even that will require some adjustment; as Passan and McDaniel note, the arbitration system is one of many areas that will have to be modified temporarily.
The draft, too, is a hot-button issue. It seems the two sides have discussed a wide range of scenarios. Sherman writes that the event could pushed back or shortened, with signing bonuses paid out over a longer term rather than in an up-front lump sum. SportsGrid’s Craig Mish suggests (via Twitter) that shortening the event — perhaps to as few as 10 rounds — could be likeliest.
But the real trouble lurks beyond: what if there is no 2020 season? That would unveil a host of thorny matters. MLB and MLBPA negotiators have evidently had less success agreeing on how to respond to such a drastic development. They’ve tabled those talks for the time being while hoping, along with the rest of us, that dealing with that outcome doesn’t prove necessary.
Baseball in December. I can dig it.
There are enough domes to make it work.
Assign every division an indoor/retractable roof “home stadium” where home games would be played in the postseason:
AL East: Tampa or Toronto
AL Central: Maybe Texas or Houston?
AL West: Seattle (or LAA, which should still be fine in December)
NL East: Miami
NL Central: Milwaukee
NL West: Arizona or LAD
I like the idea but I dont think they would be able to play at those domes in really cold climates ie like Toronto or Milwaukee. If it snows substantially they would not be able to make it to the stadiums. They prob keep it more in the southern states. I wonder what attendance would be like at a “neutral” site?
Bleedsblue, where do you live? You seem not to have an idea on how substantial snow would have to be to get to a stadium. You would have to have a major blizzard within a day for people not to get to stadiums. They play football, basketball, hockey all winter in these places. Getting to where the Brewers play (can’t remember what the name is going to be now) is no different than getting where the Bucks play.
Mike, Bleedsblue is correct. Toronto sometimes sees snowstorms in November. Had a few the last two Novembers. Would be tough to go to games, but if the 2009 WBC was an indication I am not sure many Torontonians would attend games not involving the Blue Jays.
Mike127 maybe your right lol. I’m just going off of early season games where they postpone games due to the weather. With a shortened season and possibly playing double headers, how do they make up games if it’s even just one game that’s postponed? Btw I live in SoCal where summer last about 9 months lol
I feel like Mike is correct on this. They don’t postpone games in toronto or Milwaukee for any nba or nhl game due to snowstorms in the winter. Maybe if it’s a blizzard they will
the west can play anywhere in the winter, in fact it is warmer in late fall in the bay area usually than the summer
Rain is the consideration in the Bay Area. But yeah, it is funny I froze many a summer evening up there yet loved the Fall.
All of California would be fine in December, they should only play in domes or CA.
dog. houston and texas are in the AL west
homie….
the stros and rangers are in the AL west
Texas has a very nice one that can even be opened in December. Just saying.
Question is will it be worthwhile. For example, would a Tigers/Royals matchup really be a draw in Houston?
Be great from my couch
What would the trash cans do?
Tigers/Royals matchup probably isn’t a draw in Detroit or Kansas City, let alone Houston.
As long as the trash can bangers wear winter gloves it should be ok
And considering we’re talking playoffs, won’t happen anyway.
People aren’t thinking what that is going to do to pitcher workload for the next season. Assuming the 2021 season starts on time, that would be a two month off season and not a lot of downtime for elbows. If TJ is high right now, think what it will be at this point next season if guys don’t get a normal offseason recovery.
Good point Steve. Depending on the timeframe, the increased roster size could be extended into the following season.
Also I believe the next Classic is supposed to be 2921.
Once a millennium now? Bummer.
No, I think it got pushed back to 3921.
Lol all players participating in the classic must report to be crogeniaclly frozen until 3921 hahaha
I had similar thoughts as well. Not just TJ. There’d likely be a rash of other injures as well. I wouldn’t push it further than having the Series start the week of Veterans Day, at the absolute latest.
“Your players have to get a little tougher. What are they, a bunch of pansies?” – Rachel Phelps (Cleveland Indians)
If there’s no season at all then every player’s clock as well as team payroll tax issues should toll to 2021. If there’s a partial schedule with more players on the active roster, the tax thresholds need to be adjusted.
I can’t.
Hoping that dealing with that outcome doesn’t prove necessary has been a popular strategy lately.
Going from “no groups of 5 people or more” to 30,000 fans in the afternoon and 30,000 more in the evening doesn’t seem especially realistic.
The more likely question these leagues are going to have to decide if it’s better to have TV only (empty building) games or no games at all.
Wrestling has been doing just that, no crowd in attendance. If it gets games going and I can watch on TV I’m all for it.
If the baseball season ends in December, does that allow for a long enough off-season for players to recover from injuries and general wear and tear? Genuine question, as I’ve never played and don’t know how long it takes to bounce back from a grueling season of play
I could see a situation where the 2021 season starts a bit later to accommodate the late start to the season. Maybe the 2021 postseason pushes into mid-November and the 2022 season goes back to the normal start.
plus these days players usually only take a week or 2 off before they start training for the next season.. it would need to be adjusted but still would work.
Most of the pitchers I’ve interviewed go a month or so without throwing then gradually move up from playing light catch to being on a throwing program as Spring Training approaches. They’d be the ones to most alter their plans.
Ok that makes sense. In the end, I just want to watch baseball and have everyone be safe. Fingers crossed!
No, I don’t think it does give the players enough rest. With this coronavirus debacle, if they do get the O.K. to play sometime this summer, lets just play out the schedule. No All Star game, play it next year at Dodger stadium. No playoffs or World Series, it wouldn’t be a normal full season. I hate to say it but, basically an exhibition season.
Starting in July or more likely August Is the first dose of reality I’ve heard from Mlb. I hope it’s plausible…The Nats and Yanks playing game seven of the World Series on New Year’s in Miami sounds great!
Lolll
And you have the Nats winning on new years I’m guessing. Just curious lol
December baseball with neutral sites? I’m down.
Whatever gets me as much baseball as possible
I’ll hard pass on two teams not the Padres getting to play at Petco.
At least its not up to only you huh lol
You hard pass on the Padres playing anyone there also lmao
Neutral sites would need to come in much earlier than December. Good luck in Minnesota and Chicago in November.
Start in July.
Double header once a week on Wednesday.
Give teams 40 man rosters all season to carry more pitchers and position players.
Saturdays and Sundays off for traveling and rest.
Play Monday through Friday you can get 6 games in a week.
You can get up to 80 something games in (half a season). Play post season baseball in October like planned.
Resume next season.
You go from July 1st (double headers) to October 2nd you can get 82 games in I believe.
Absolutely terrible idea. Just give up the weekends? LOL.
Give the teams Saturday and Sunday off? The 2 days where they draw the most fans? That won’t fly. You just failed economics 101.
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are money days. Best attendance by far. Notice how every team plays on each of those days.
Back in the old days double headers were common on Sundays. Two nice crowds, day and night. Monday was then a travel day.
You’re probably right about a double header one day a week, though. I’d just bet the weekends are for fans and baseball, not travel.
Weekends are when they make the most money brah.
Early leader for worst take of the day in the clubhouse
You haven’t been reading your material lately then.
“Unfortunately, the overriding concern — the ability to safely stage games — remains wholly subject to the unknown whims of the future.”
Who knows when we will be allowed to do huge group gatherings like baseball again. Could months could be well into 2021.
The above plan is under the assumption games will be played without fans in attendance but broadcasted. Doesn’t matter when games are played if there are no fans. Makes more sense to broadcast games at night when people are off work on weekdays than it does weekends.
Furthermore even when we are “cleared” people aren’t gonna immediately rush to go to a huge venue like a basebl game surrounded by other people. It could take months before people feel ok enough to sit directly next to strangers.
You are looking at baseball with no fans or no baseball for 2020. Only two options you have.
Just cancel the season. The winner will be irrelevant.
Only in your head.
I think that’s only true if we are talking 60 games or lower.
If it’s 60 games or lower your Phillies might be contenders this year.
Yeah why not your team is not going to be the post season
I agree
It wont be irrelevant if they use a balanced schedule, no divisions and only a AL/NL world series, no other playoffs.
This would make it even more irrelevant! Every other World Series takes three post season series to be declared the champion (4 if you consider the one game wildcard a series after that was implemented). Now all you have to do is end up at the top of a shortened series and be in the World Series? Not to mention the fact that they are already bleeding revenue, now they can’t have a post season? Oooooooff
Shortened season*
MLBTR should put together all the reasonable plans for the 2020 season and run a poll
Did the 2018 Red Sox cheat?
I’m not a Boston fan at all but how is this relevant
Probably less than the 2004 squad did.
Stay off the weed!
will there be ped testing before the summer trainin
/regular season starts?
It sounds like they really are going to consider playing a close to full slate of games and go into December. Sounds like the owners don’t want to pay players for 50-60% of the season and miss all that extra revenue and the players don’t trust the owners enough to not screw them over.
Much rather play a 100 game slate starting in early or mid-june. Play your division the standard 19 times then split the rest of the 10 teams in your league into 2 game sets (5 home, 5 road) and the remaining 2 games are home and home interleague games (NYY-NYM, STL-KC, CHC- CWS).
If they go to a 100 game schedule, they need to pare down the 19 divisional games to 13. It will allow for the same desired effect of crowing a division champ. I don’t want to see 80% of the schedule be allocated to division games; that is way too many!
I can’t see the Lords giving extra service time to a prospect just to fill out a 30-man roster ; maybe .5 times the amount of days. And the playing of games in empty stadiums isn’t quite the tragedy some are reporting it is. While I’m sure the Red Sox and Dodgers get 30% of their revenues from the gate, I doubt the Rays and the Marlins do. And that 30% relies too much on how much of the ancillary revenue (concessions, parking) teams control; some teams merely participate in those revenues.
MOST teams get their money these days from Revenue Sharing (if applicable), the Central Fund and local TV/Radio. Fannies in the seats are no doubt profitable, but hardly necessary. Opening the parks to fans can’t be a deal breaker.
Why do people write stuff like “The draft, too, is a hot-button issue.” When they could just write “The draft is a hot-button issue too” and make way more sense?
Why do people write stuff like “The draft is a hot-button issue.too” When they could just write “The draft is a hot-button issue also” and make way more sense?
why isn’t every art piece in the gallery the same?
You have, convincingly, changed my mind.
Which teams would get the coveted Thanksgiving Day games? Ahhh, nothing like tradition.
Forget about everything before Memorial Day. Start on Memorial day w/o fans if need be.
It could work in theory if you adjust the schedule and let cold weather teams have their entire allotment of home games in the warm months. And save November and December games for Atlanta, Miami, Texas, Arizona, etc. It would be weird for a team like the Rangers or the Marlins to travel constantly during July and August. But 2020 is all about the weird, so why not.
Yeah until there’s an outbreak on a team and the whole thing’s shutdown again. That’s what scares me.
It’s amusing to think of all the time and effort being spent on all the possible scenarios. Why don’t all the companies that manufacture all the equipment needed for the pandemic start operating three shifts a day and six more on weekends? They can hire loads of people, train them up, and start being productive making the things that we really need. I am pretty certain that this could help flatten the curve, keep people productive and even help the economy a little bit. If building planes and boats and bombs and guns and bullets helps the economy and those things are essentially disposed of and worthless during peacetime, how is this any different? There are potential new jobs out there because of the pandemic, get this thing figured out, and put people back to work. I don’t need a hedge fund manager making a bunch of financial moves for me, I need a test, a mask, a ventilator, a protective suit, and a cure. Otherwise, we are just going to be hiring ditch diggers for all the graves. Let’s go America!
An intelligent schedule could easily plan for late fall games utilizing warm climates and indoor facilities. Of course, an “intelligent schedule” has not been seen recently.
A lot is going to change for the positive over the next 30-days with the warm weather, the coronavirus starting to naturally recede, treatments and America starting to open back up for business.. You sense from the timetable in re-starting baseball in Japan and Korea then backing into the U.S., June 1st will be the go date for resumption of MLB baseball which means ST will start in about 40-45 days..ST will be a condensed 21 day affair with rosters expanded to 30-32 players with the additions coming in pitchers.
Finally! Someone who knows when this thing is going to end. So did you use the classical SEIR model? What is your estimate for the asymptomatic incidence? The symptomatic incidence? What is your expected growth of exposed? What are your latent, infectious and hospitalization periods? Hospitalization rate? Have you been updating your parameters? And most importantly, does the CDC know that you’re out there? We all need to know when this thing is going to end. Thank you for your service to this country. Now let’s get the darn baseball season going!
I I want the President or Governor of New York to explain to me how you practice social distancing at a house of ill repute.
asking for a friend?
House of Ill Repute = Tropicana Field?
How will extending the season into late December affect the players for the 2021 season?
Your team traded for a one year rental? Oh, well now your screwed. The dodgers traded 3 guys for Betts, maybe they should give one back lol. Of course Boston can choose which players to keep and which to return. I know, living in Lala land if you expect that to happen tho. Teams will be pissed and rightly so. But that’s the risk you run when trading, right? Same as if the player got hurt after the trade then you can’t change the trade after the fact.
Fans or no fans doesn’t seem to be the biggest issue. How do you practice social distancing between the batter, the catcher, and the ump standing over the catcher’s shoulder?
Does a player, or a member of a player’s family, have to die before MLB takes this more seriously? Even if you had electronic balls/strikes being called, the hitter and catcher are a little too close for comfort.
So, we get rid of the ump, we get rid of the catcher, maybe we just rename the league the MLTB: Major League Tee Ball
Thanks for the prospects, LAD! While we all pray this doesn’t happen, it will be really interesting to see what MLB does if the entire season gets cancelled. Are the Dodgers (Betts), Rangers (Kluber) and other teams who traded for an expiring contract just SOL, or will MLB undo the trade? Do they tack another year of eligibility onto Mookie? (He will hate it if they do so). MLB really needs to figure out how to play some type of season. If they cannot then it will be complete anarchy, especially with the CBA set to expire in 2021. One thing is for sure; if clubs end up losing millions of dollars this year, they won’t be offering massive $350M+ contracts to stars like Mookie. He probably wishes he took that 10 year, $300M offer the Sox gave him back in 2018 right about now.
I dont think they would undo the trades it would probably be in the form of draft compensation to the Dodgers- But I dont think it will matter, there will be a season this year close to 100 games imo
Good injection about further economy with Mookie, def think it plays a roll-
Still think LAD and others would do 10/300 so I dont think he loses that but yea 400 looking bleak for him -Lad might feel further pressured as well to sign him – Good points
Hardly anyone misses the Greatest Game being played anymore than I do, however, if it means sacrificing one season for the health of the citizens of the great United States, then count me in.
Maybe when the weather gets cold teams should just move operations to their spring training sites and finish out the regular season in Florida and Arizona. Can still televise games to home areas. Hold playoff games in larger stadium warm weather or domed neutral sites. Keep ticket prices low so attendance is strong for exciting backdrop.
The proposal would provide players with the same service time they accrued in 2019, not 2020.
Imagine if Mookie never plays a game for LAD but then re-signs with Boston. LOL
If that happens then the Sox will trade Downs back to LAD for Graterol ;-).
Due to the economic crisis this pandemic has created, people are not going to have the discretionary income required to attend baseball games. Corporate sponsorship money may not be available in the numbers baseball has become accustomed to either in 2020. There are also liability issues in play. I’m sure one of the issues being studied by MLB is what would their legal exposure be if 1000 people contracted the virus at a Yankees Red Sox game, for example. Unless there is a dramatic change in circumstances over the next 90 days I don’t see a 2020 season happening.
Scariest thing of all: The season starts and within a couple weeks there’s a Virus outbreak on a team or two. Everything is F’d at that point and shutdown, and who knows what’s what…
I doubt the MLBPA would agree to this schedule just because of wear and tear on the players, but here is my idea if the season starts July 1st.
There are 123 days from July 1st to November 1st.
Play 2 doubleheaders per week. Wednesday and Sunday. Monday is the travel day.
Get rid of all 20 interleague games. That would make the season 142 games.
Give each team a full 40 man roster. Increase the CBT tax by $9 million to accommodate 14 more players at or near major league minimum. .
Not so many off days in the playoffs. Finish before Thanksgiving.
It is way too early to start planning for the start of the season. If the spread of the virus flatens out in a couple months that doesn’t mean that we end the social distancing. They did that in Hong Kong and the virus spiked again. I am afraid that if the administration doesn’t listen to the experts then we will fall into old habits that will allow the virus to spike again.
I have been a fan for 60 years and watching baseball is my greatest joy, but if people are going to be exposed to the virus because the government jumps the gun, then I am all for skipping 2020. Let the owners and MLBPA figure out Service Time, Free Agency and the draft. I want to see baseball but not at the expense of people’s health.
No way can Dodgers and Rangers can just we told too bad with Betts and Kluber trades. No season then no valid trade and players are returned. Cannot have teams getting penalized due to this circumstance.
dodgers1…….
I wouldn’t be so sure. It may fall under “Act of God” aka “Force Majeure”. A great many contracts contain such clauses. I have not checked the CBA or the MLB Constitution, the two most likely places to find the answer (or a hint thereof). I’m just to tired to look right now, I just doubt it is an open and shut case.
No way they don’t at least get an extra draft pick or something.
If Betts tripped over his cat and shredded his ACL, causing him to miss the season it would be considered an “Act of God”. There would be no compensation.
If Kluber tripped over a sprinkler head in his backyard and tore his UCL when he tried to brace himself from the fall thus requiring TJS, it would be considered “Force Majeure”. There would be no compensation. Why would this virus be any different?
As long as hitters continue to step out of the box and take a walk and several practice swings between each pitch, all else should work itself out eventually.