There’s plenty of negativity on which to dwell in times such as these, but many of the game’s top players continue to their efforts to help those in need and inspire hope. To that end, Bryce Harper announced Thursday (via Twitter) that he and his family are donating $500,000 in partnership with Direct Relief, Three Square Las Vegas and Philabundance to “those in most immediate need” of aid against the spreading COVID-19 virus.
“Now is the time to come together and adhere to the guidelines of medical professionals!” wrote Harper. “We are wishing the best to all with our prayers during this time.” Harper joins Dexter Fowler, Freddie Freeman, Adam Wainwright, Shin-Soo Choo and dozens upon dozens of other big leaguers who have been active in their communities and made charitable contributions in the fight against the pandemic.
A couple more notes out of Philadelphia…
- A decision on right-hander Seranthony Dominguez’s right elbow is on “pause” for now, general manager Matt Klentak told reporters Thursday (link via Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer). The Phillies’ medical staff recommended Tommy John surgery after an MRI, and Dominguez was slated to receive a second opinion shortly thereafter. However, that recommendation coincided with the implementation of travel restrictions in Dominguez’s native Dominican Republic, and the righty quickly traveled back home to be with family while he was still able. Now, Dominguez’s second opinion and potential surgery are both on hold. Klentak acknowledged that Tommy John is still a definite possibility but stressed that the situation is not black-and-white. “For a lot of players, surgery is the last option they want to consider,” said Klentak. “…Before we go down that road we just want to make sure that everybody’s in agreement that [Tommy John surgery] is the right course of action.”
- Also on hold for the time being are the team’s extension talks with star catcher J.T. Realmuto. The league mandated that extension talks be halted during MLB’s league-wide roster freeze, so the two sides can’t even talk about a potential long-term deal. Klentak emphasized today, though, that he hopes to eventually rekindle talks with Realmuto’s camp. “I think you all know that we love J.T., and he’s a player that we would love to have with us for the long haul,” said the GM. Realmuto was reportedly seeking to top Buster Posey’s $159MM guarantee and set a new average annual value precedent for catchers — which could’ve meant an asking price upwards of $26-27MM annually over a six-year term. He’s slated to become a free agent in the 2020-21 offseason.
I’m no doctor, but it seems like throwing almost 3 seasons of his career as well as team control away for indecisiveness to have the surgery or not is only hurting Seranthony.
He’s soaking up MLB service time towards a nice fat pension as long as the Phillies keep rendering him contracts!
Bleed them dry Seranthony!
No reason for them to dump him considering the upside. They just need a better course of action for his injury.
Unless you want him to have the surgery in the Dominican Republic, it will have to wait. I am a doctor (and Phillies fan since the mid-1960’s) who is seeing my local hospitals rapidly filling up with COVID 19 patients, many of whom are critically ill. Our nation needs to focus all possible medical resources on saving lives, not elective procedures to save careers, as important as that is.
I wouldn’t sign a catcher to more than three years, unless he’s elite and in his early 20s.
Avoid the clap. Signed, Jimmy Duggan
As in Havksaw Jim Dugan?! HOOOO!
The pride of Glens Falls, NY
At this point get the surgery come back in 2021 and actually pitch.
Right? I don’t get why so many players put it off. He’ll probably wait until October to get it so he can miss all of next year too. I’m probably wrong but I feel like Tanaka is the only pitcher to successfully avoid the surgery
Tanaka is certainly the one that comes to mind immediately.
Ervin Santana pitched through a partially torn UCL sustained early in his career and never wound up having TJ. Adam Wainwright lasted five-plus years after partially tearing his. More recently, Aaron Nola and Anthony DeSclafani had UCL sprains — by definition, at least a slight/partial tear — and rehabbed without Tommy John.
I imagine Dominguez would’ve had the surgery by now under normal circumstances, as second opinion almost surely would’ve offered the same recommendation, but he’s in an odd limbo due to the pandemic.
As for players putting it off — it’s a major surgery with an arduous rehab process that impacts earning power and comes with a nonzero chance of going awry as well as a much greater chance of just tanking your career if you don’t bounce back from it well. Surgery is always a last resort. Players “put it off” when doctors/surgeons don’t deem it their only recourse. It’s a last resort that they don’t take lightly.
Spot-on, and it’s more than just nonzero. A solid 10-20% of pitchers that get TJ never come back, and an even bigger fraction are never the same.
https://tht.fangraphs.com/tommy-john-surgery-success-rates-in-the-majors/
I’m not sure I really get why the league felt the need to “freeze” ALL roster moves. like if a player and team want to work out a long term contract extension while the league is on this hiatus… why not? I’m not saying anyone has to sign any extensions if they don’t want to… But it seems like a pretty solid time to be negotiating seeing as there’s nothing else going on — so why “freeze” transactions like this? Like what benefit or whatever does it have for the league to ban it?
I wish Monty would just clam up
It’s not important in the grand scheme of things, but if the 2020 season gets canceled, the Phillies have to be one of the most negatively affected teams out there. Didi would get paid a full year for half of a spring training. Arrieta singing would look even worse. Realmuto trade would look awful (if he does indeed become a FA). Harper’s mega deal has a phantom year added to it.
Obviously every team would be seriously affected in someway, but things look real bad for the Phils if 2020 doesn’t happen.
Sorry for being a negative nelly. On the positive side, much props to Harper for stepping up during this time. I love hearing all these positive stories from players.
The players will only be paid a portion of their salaries.
$500,000 is not enough, shame on you Harper.
Who are you to shame someone for not donating “enough” money?
Every dollar helps
Idiotic comment.
5/125 is what the Phillies should offer to JT. I think that’s fair but he would probably get 6/140 in free agency with a team thinking he can become a Craig Biggio type
JT is like Biggio? Does he play CF? Will he average in the top 5-10 on the hits leaders? Biggio could play CF, and he did everything well and got on base a lot more than JT. I don’t see any GM stupid enough to believe he is like Biggio. However, he’ll probably get paid by an AL team that can use him at DH to save his legs. Although not even close to Biggio, he’s still a very good player.
Biggio had long given up catching at Realmuto’s age. Non-ped catchers tend to sharply decline around age 32. Even the best ones ever. Phillies would be wise to limit their offer to 3 years.
Jt is not worth the contract to that buster has gotten. You’re talking about what grandal or McCann got for contracts.
Buster isn’t worth that contract either—injuries.
If the season gets canceled will teams back off in spending in free agency next year?
The trade to get him for what they gave up was a mistake. They will compound it by signing him long-term rather than trading him when his value is as high as it ever will be. The game is about pitching and if (big if) they could get a young, high-end pitcher (not the crap they got for Hamels), that is the right route. But, the Phillies will prove again that they are incompetent.