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MLB, MLBPA Seeking Additional Medical Lab Site For COVID Testing

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COVID-19 test results haven’t come in at an acceptable rate for several Major League Baseball teams early in Summer Camp. The slow process has negatively affected the Athletics, Angels, Astros and Nationals, though MLB expressed confidence Monday that it won’t be an issue going forward.

For its part, the MLBPA sent a memo to player agents Monday saying that it and the league are “actively pursuing an additional medical lab site to increase the speed and efficiency of test processing and reporting,” Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets.

It’s a common-sense move to work to expedite the process of receiving test results, considering the season is supposed to start in under three weeks and players are expected to undergo testing every day. A player who tests positive for the coronavirus is required to quarantine for two weeks, and he must test negative twice and exhibit no symptoms before he’s able to rejoin his team. With only 60 games scheduled for each club this regular season, it’s all the more crucial for everyone involved to find out test results as quickly as possible.

MLB Releases 2020 Schedule

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Even as it deals with early coronavirus testing stumbles, Major League Baseball has unveiled significant aspects of its 2020 schedule. You can find the full slate at MLB.com.

As is evident from a brief scan of the schedules, this won’t be a typical season. Even beyond the shortened format, there’s a notable realignment of the regular season. Opening Day is July 23rd.

Two-thirds of the contests will occur against division rivals, but each of those series will be unbalanced in terms of the home-park mix. The remainder of the contests are interleague affairs between teams of corresponding geographic divisions.

Teams are releasing information in a bit of an ad hoc manner, it appears, with MLB Network revealing the series matchups and clubs following up with specific dates and times. Obviously there could be quite a lot of modification as the season goes on, depending upon the course of the coronavirus pandemic in various localities.

Jimmy Nelson To Undergo Back Surgery

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Dodgers righty Jimmy Nelson is slated to undergo lower back surgery tomorrow, the team announced (h/t J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, via Twitter). Precise details of the procedure aren’t yet known, but it’s expected to sideline Nelson for all of the 2020 season, per MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter link).

Nelson had signed on with the Los Angeles organization in hopes of launching a comeback. Once a high-quality young hurler, he had fallen prey to arm issues in recent years. The 30-year-old dealt with some back and groin issues during camp and evidently was not able to overcome them during the leaguewide shutdown.

The deal that Nelson inked with the Dodgers certainly contemplated both upside and downside scenarios. He was promised just $750K in the pact, but could’ve earned another $2MM in roster bonuses alone. His deal came with a floating-value club option that will now end up being priced at the minimum $2MM.

It seems unlikely that the Dodgers will end up picking up that option at that price, but perhaps that can’t be ruled out entirely. If not, he’ll end up going back onto the open market after rehabbing yet another significant injury. Odds are, Nelson will be looking at minor-league offers over the coming offseason.

Dombrowski, La Russa, Stewart Join Nashville Franchise Effort

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A trio of heavy-hitting veteran MLB executives is looking for a new angle back into the game, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). Dave Dombrowski, Tony La Russa, and  Dave Stewart are all now united in a potential bid for a new venture.

That notable group is said to be joining Music City Baseball, LLC to aid in a dedicated effort at bringing Major League Baseball to Nashville, Tennessee. Precisely what role each will occupy at this point isn’t clear, but the long-time baseball insiders certainly bring some gravitas and connections to the bid. They’re currently listed as advisors to the undertaking, with Stewart also tabbed as a board member.

The group is said to be attempting to compile an African American majority ownership group. Negro League Hall of Fame president Bob Kendrick is another board member of note. R.A. Dickey, Barry Zito, and Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin also rank as “baseball advisors.” The organization lists real estate executive John Loar as managing director and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as Chairman of the Board.

Nashville is currently home to the Triple-A Sounds, the top affiliate of the Texas Rangers. That club has also engaged in talks with MLB about potentially hosting a satellite league for unsigned players in 2020. Nashville, of course, already hosts the NFL’s Titans and NHL’s Predators.

There certainly appears to be some upcoming opportunity for Nashville to grab a MLB franchise. Some existing clubs are dealing with ballpark issues and could conceivably be candidates to move. More likely is the possibility of expansion, particularly as the league looks for ways to boost revenue to help deal with the lost opportunity this year. Nashville would appear to rate as one of the most desirable potential landing spots for a new ballclub if the league decides to add another pair of outfits.

MLB Issues Statement On Testing Delays

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Major League Baseball has released a statement regarding the delays in COVID-19 testing that have hamstrung the efforts of several teams to prepare for the season. The league acknowledged the issue but says it expects to iron things out moving forward.

While several teams are presently missing or delaying workouts owing to testing delays, MLB claims that “more than 95% of the tests under the Intake Screening period have been conducted, analyzed, and shared.” That leaves a not-inconsequential number of players and others that still haven’t passed the initial gate.

The league defended its overall handling of the early rounds of testing. On those samples that haven’t yet been tested, the league offered an explanation that seemed to contain a bit of an internal contradiction: “Unfortunately, several situations included unforeseen delays.  We have addressed the delays caused by the holiday weekend and do not expect a recurrence.”

No doubt the league tried its best to avoid these testing snafus. And MLB notes its appreciation for “the great cooperation from the players as well as the hard work of the Clubs and many internal and external staff members under these challenging circumstances.”

But this is a results-oriented matter. While some early difficulties aren’t surprising, that doesn’t minimize the concern with the halting lab work. Preparing for and playing the 2020 season in a safe and logistically workable manner will require a smooth and efficient management of the coronavirus. It’ll be necessary to settle into a groove sooner than later.

Joey Gallo Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Rangers slugger Joey Gallo has tested positive for COVID-19, general manager Jon Daniels tells reporters (Twitter link via Levi Weaver of The Athletic). Gallo initially tested positive back on June 29, per Daniels. And while he had one negative test in the days thereafter, a second and more recent test again came back positive. Gallo is presently asymptomatic, thankfully, but he’ll need two consecutive negative tests, with more than 24 hours separating them, before he’s cleared to report to Rangers Summer Camp.

Gallo’s most recent test on July 2 came back negative yesterday, per Weaver, so despite the fact that he’s not showing symptoms at the moment, it appears he’ll be out at least several more days. Gallo joins lefty reliever Brett Martin as the Rangers’ second known positive test case. Martin, who is diabetic, tested positive last week and has been showing what the team termed “mild” symptoms.

The 26-year-old Gallo has emerged as the centerpiece of the Rangers lineup. The 26-year-old turned in consecutive 40+ home run seasons in 2017 and 2018 before reaching new heights in an injury-shortened 2019 campaign. In 297 plate appearances last year, he swatted 22 long balls and posted a .253/.389/.598 batting line — all while delivering highly rated glovework in center and left field.

Needless to say, the Texas organization is hopeful that Gallo will knock out his infection and make it into Summer Camp soon. If all goes well, he won’t exhibit any deleterious reaction and could perhaps even ready for the start of the 2020 season.

Brandon Guyer Announces Retirement

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Veteran outfielder Brandon Guyer announced his retirement as a player on Monday. In a statement to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link), Guyer wrote:

As I sit here and think about my baseball journey, I am so grateful for the life baseball has given me. I met my wife and raised three children in the game, made friendships that will last a lifetime, played on some amazing teams, and traveled the world making memories. None of it would have been possible without all my former teammates, coaches, trainers, friends, and family. Thank you all for being by my side during this amazing ride.

Guyer goes on to make clear that he isn’t walking away from the game entirely — just his time as a player. He’s launched an online training platform, FullyEquippedAthlete.com, and now strives to help shape the careers of a new generation of baseball players with that venture.

A veteran of seven Major League seasons, the now-34-year-old Guyer hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2018. He spent the 2019 season in the White Sox organization but was on the Triple-A injured list for most of the year, and he was cut loose by the Giants right around the time the league initially shut down. He’d signed a minor league pact with San Francisco over the winter.

Guyer split his career between the Rays and the Indians, tallying 517 games and 1487 plate appearances while hitting .250/.339/.388 with 32 home runs, 72 doubles, five triples and 22 stolen bases. While he was never a full-time outfielder, the right-handed-hitting Guyer was a constant thorn in the side for opposing lefties, as evidenced by a career .274/.376/.449 slash against them. Guyer was particularly adept at getting on base when holding the platoon advantage, in no small part due to his league-leading penchant for getting hit by pitches (as explored at great length by FanGraphs’ August Fagerstrom back in 2016). He was also a notable contributor in the Indians’ 2016 World Series run, going 6-for-18 with three RBIs, a double, four walks and, yes, a pair of hit-by-pitches that postseason.

The former fifth-round pick banked more than $7MM in his career (prior to agent fees, taxes, etc.) and will now step into a hands-on role in developing younger talents. Best wishes to Guyer in whatever the game has in store for him next.

Regarding The MLBTR Comment Section

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You may have noticed recently that we’ve closed the comments section on MLBTR posts relating to COVID-19.  I’ve taken this temporary measure because the discussions have too often become toxic.  Moderating arguments in the comments is not a good use of time for our writers.

We plan to take a few days to amend our commenting policy and our system for enforcement, and then we’ll re-open comments on most posts.  In the meantime, the comments are open on this post, and I’d appreciate your feedback and ideas.

Astros Cancel Monday Workouts Due To Testing Delays

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10:45am: Astros GM James Click issued the following statement on today’s cancellation:

The safety of our players and staff remains our top priority at the Astros. The team is still awaiting results from the COVID-19 tests taken on Friday. Due to the delay in receiving these results, coupled with the contagious nature of the virus, we felt it was prudent to cancel today’s workouts at Minute Maid Park and the University of Houston. Players and staff continue to participate fully in the screening and testing protocols while we await these results. Despite these delays over the holiday weekend, we’re optimistic that this process will be ironed out and we’ll be back on the field and ready to compete for a championship soon.

10:10am: The Astros have canceled this morning’s workout due to delays in the results from their COVID-19 intake testing, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). They’re the second team to do so, joining the Nationals. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the Astros, like the Nats, have yet to receive their results from last week’s initial wave of testing. Kaplan and Ken Rosenthal add that the Astros weren’t tested either Saturday or Sunday but are expected to be tested again today.

At this point, it seems that the logistical challenges in mass testing are greater than MLB had anticipated. Through only three official days of “Summer Camp” we’ve now seen at least two teams cancel workouts due to a lack of test results, with others still possible given the snafus surrounding the Angels (whose testers didn’t show over the weekend) and Athletics (whose test results reportedly weren’t shipped on time by MLB and CDT).

Breakdowns like this in the testing cycle might be able to be overcome during Summer Camp as the league irons out its processes, but this is clearly a detriment both to avoiding broad-reaching infections and to readying for the tentative 2020 season. Today’s struggles also more loudly raise the question of what would happen if such an instance were to occur once the season is underway. It’s likely that games would need to be delayed or postponed absent the most recent testing data for a given team, and with the league aiming for 60 games in a span of 65 days, the margin for error is quite thin.

Nick Markakis Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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Braves outfielder Nick Markakis has opted out of playing this season, manager Brian Snitker announced to reporters this morning (Twitter link via Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). In doing so, he’ll forgo this year’s $4MM salary and the year of service time he’d have otherwise accrued.

Markakis himself tells reporters that there were multiple factors that ultimately led to his decision (Twitter links via Burns and Mark Bowman of MLB.com). Markakis says that a talk with Braves star Freddie Freeman, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, proved pivotal. “That opened my eyes,” said Markakis. “He didn’t sound good.” Playing in the absence of fans was also a notable factor in his decision to sit out the season.

The 36-year-old Markakis has spent the past five seasons with the Braves, serving as a veteran guide and mentor through a rebuild that has seen the Atlanta organization return to perennial contender status in the NL East. Though he’s no longer the elite-level outfielder he was at his peak, Markakis was described by Snitker this morning as “the backbone of our club” — a nod to the veteran’s influence and standing in the clubhouse.

Markakis has surely thought long and hard over the decision, which comes just two day after Freeman, Will Smith, Touki Toussaint and Pete Kozma tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, teams throughout the league have been delayed in getting test results back from Major League Baseball, which has resulted in the cancellation of workouts for two teams thus far.

Though he’s not playing in 2020, Markakis added that he hopes this won’t spell the end of his career (Twitter link via David O’Brien of The Athletic). Playing in 2021 will be another decision for another day, though, and will be dependent on the status of the pandemic and what the 2021 season will look like.

The absence of Markakis from the Braves lineup will remove a steadily productive hitter from the Atlanta outfield and designated hitter rotation. The 2018 All-Star has batted .284/.359/.403 in his five years with Atlanta and would’ve shared corner outfield/DH duties — likely working in a loose platoon setting with Adam Duvall. The Braves still have Marcell Ozuna, Ender Inciarte and wunderkind Ronald Acuna Jr. in the outfield picture, but the loss of Markakis still thins out their depth in notable fashion. Prospects Drew Waters and Cristian Pache loom on the horizon and could conceivably see accelerated paths to the big leagues as a result.

Markakis joins David Price, Ryan Zimmerman, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross, Welington Castillo, Ian Desmond, Mike Leake and brief teammate Felix Hernandez in opting not to participate in the 2020 season amid public health concerns.

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