The Nationals and Yankees are tentatively scheduled to play on July 23, according to Joel Sherman and Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, which would make for a big Max Scherzer vs. Gerrit Cole pitching matchup to highlight Opening Day. It might still be at least a week or two before the 2020 schedule is officially finalized, however, as the league is still considering a number of factors, chief among them coronavirus outbreaks around the United States. “Better, the league believes, to take its time, see how the [COVID-19] testing of personnel goes this week and the preferences expressed in feedback from clubs,” Sherman and Marchand write. “So the current schedule can change drastically and, if it does, the union will have to provide its blessing again.”
More from around baseball…
- Tomorrow is the deadline for teams to submit their initial 60-man player pool, and details are already beginning to emerge about which players may or may not be included. The Twins’ taxi squad will include top prospects Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, and Brent Rooker, SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson tweets. Caleb Thielbar, who rejoined Minnesota on a minors contract last winter, is also expected to be on taxi squad duty.
- The Athletics will initially split their player pool into two groups, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, with much of the big league roster training in Oakland and the taxi squad potentially training in nearby Stockton — the home of the Athletics’ Class-A affiliate — if a deal can be finalized with Stockton city officials. Offseason minor league signings Ryan Goins, Carlos Perez, Jordan Weems, and Lucas Luetge will all be in Oakland, while taxi squad players include such notable prospects as Tyler Soderstrom, Daulton Jefferies, Nick Allen, Dustin Fowler and (as per MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez) Robert Puason.
- Slusser also provides updates on some Athletics players who were battling injuries during the spring but are now on track to be ready for Opening Day. A.J. Puk “has been throwing bullpen sessions for months” following a shoulder strain in the spring, and looks to be ready to begin the season in Oakland’s rotation. Right-hander Daniel Mengden is also ready to be part of the pitching mix after recovering from arthroscopic elbow surgery in February. After being sidelined with an intercostal strain during Spring Training, Stephen Piscotty said he is now “100 percent with no limitations.”
- The Rays and Rangers are the latest teams to commit to paying their minor leaguers through the end of July, as respectively reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Minor leaguers in each organization will continue to receive their $400 weekly stipends for at least another month.
Would be amazing to have our great president there to throw out the first pitch for the Yankees and Nationals.
Hahaha
Would tell everyone he threw the greatest first pitch in the history of baseball.
He’d spike it and say he threw a perfect strike, a perfect strike.
That pitch would be yuuuuuge!
Covfefe!
Or he’d have Aroldis Chapman throw it, and then tweet that he was the one that hit 101 mph on the radar gun. Fake News!
Actually if he threw a perfect strike many would say he spiked it.
Hahaha you really drank the kool aid
It was a tremendous pitch. Both the Yankees and nationals fans who are good people, I’ve met many of them, they are good people many of them I don’t know if you know this said that it was the greatest pitch they had ever seen.
None of the pitching coaches can understand how he pitches so well. He just gets it!
Perhaps he and an uncle who was a pitcher
“Very fine people on both sides”
Joe wouldn’t even know who is playing, what sport it is, or what town he is in. How can someone mentally challenged even be running for president……like he said….his vp choice needs to be ready day one.
Do not complain about this site not being about politics after the posts above. If you don’t want politics don’t make comments about it
We’d still be better off
The programming is strong in this one, beepbeepboop.
Here’s a MLB-what-if…
You learned to tell the difference between a political statement and a joke?
Seriously, it’s just a little humor with no bad intent. You’ll have to forgive people for trying to have a little fun.
MLB-what-ifs, the only one listing a name was you. You need to have thicker skin or at least thicker than that of the Orange Snowflake. And btw, the sun has never risen on a day in which the Orange Snowflake was intellectually superior to Joe.
The sun has never risen on a day in which you weren’t angry. The day you have thick skin will be the first.
Yes lets keep politics out of this PLEASE
Wild bill, fortunate for all, you don’t know me from a can of paint. Do not project your unhappiness and regret onto others. It’s a bad look.
But Fox and ESPN hasen’t announced their plans for the season yet.
That’s asking a lot.
talk about unsolicited…
Thank you Stevil for understanding the difference between a harmless joke and a political dig. It baffles me how some people struggle so much to differentiate between the two.
LMAO! Perfect imitation!
Presidents typically throw ceremonial first pitches. Nothing new. No need to be easily triggered by that idea.
Triggered.
well it’s surprising Doogie didn’t mention anything about Trevor Larnach making the 60 man cut. That guy can really rake.
ayy good on Thielbar. the man deserves it for sure.
It’s kind of funny that my nephew in the Angels system is collecting unemployment. I guess it’s just passing the cost, although the Angels do have to pay into the fund. Also, how does he look for another job when he’s a baseball player? He’s been throwing (he’s a pitcher) but it’s a mystery when the minors will ever get started. It might work out well for him as he had TJ and this gives him more time to get strong before he ramps it up to game level. We’ll see.
I can’t believe they are going stadium to stadium. This just can’t work. Bubble or this is a bust out of the gate. Ridiculous
Agreed. I’ve always been partial to the AZ Theory. The spring training facilities there are great and very close together. If the heat is a worry, games could be played at any time of day. Along with Chase Field being available for maybe 3 games per day if scheduled correctly. East Coast day game beginning at 11am/1pm EST, Central early start night game at 3pm/5pm CST, West Coast late start night game at 730 pm/730pm PST.
Just saw Gerrit Cole’s wife is due any day with their first. What a dilemma for those with babies and ones on the way. Just a tough situation. I feel like MLB is treating this as an afterthought as far as scheduling and logistics.
I can tell you firsthand that it sucks. My wife and I had our second at the end of April. I took off work for a month, and we basically quarantined the entire time before any of us saw another person. Then it was back to work as normal – or the new “normal.” Eventually, the show must go on.
I don’t disagree with you, but given how MLB has handled things so far, I don’t have confidence they will have a sound plan. Best of luck to you and your family. It isn’t easy.
They should just realign baseball like basketball has it
Add 2 more teams & they don’t play any non conference games until the WS.
Yes Mets and Yankees same division same with California Teams,Cubs,White Sox and Marlins/Ray’s to because Magic/Heat,California Teams,Texas Teams same division in NBA.
In NHL almost all Teams in same division other then Canada doesn’t have it`s own division same as no Midwest division and if one Dallas and St. Louis in it.
Know NFL Giants and Jets not in different division same with Florida Teams and no Midwest Division and if were Chiefs,Cowboys and Texans in it, Also if Centraleast Detroit and Ohio Teams in it. Also Steelers and Ravens with Eagles and Redskins.
However they were to realign I think the Astros and Rangers have it the most unfair. They are in central time zone and play in the west coast. There just weren’t enough teams in the west to fill a division. Maybe if they moved Tampa to Vegas that would help some.
I heard that some teams have given their season ticket holders an opportunity to have the right of first refusal to claim seats in the event that eventually a limited number of fans will be allowed to see the games in person.
Rumor has it that all three Baltimore Orioles season ticket holders declined because they are still upset that free air sick bags weren’t distributed last season.
they started allowing fans into KBO games maybe MLB might do the same? Cross your fingers.
LAD at HOU should also be that day.
it would be really funny if the Astros swept the Dodgers even after all of this.
Astros keep better company than that
Dodgers are more of a midweek series
Why is the assumption Scherzer starts game 1? Why wouldn’t Washington start home grown WS MVP Stephen Strasburg?
Good point. And the starters are probably only going 3-4 in the early going with the 30 man rosters and long layoff. So it doesn’t even really matter who starts.
They’ll probably be a lot of “piggy-backing” among starters during the first few weeks.
That’s on the field. It wouldn’t be wise to piggy-back in the clubhouse. The CDC would not approve.