Details On Potential 2-Team Nashville League
In a typical MLB season, many former big leaguers are kicking around in the upper minors and independent leagues, ready to grab an opportunity when one arises. In a 2020 campaign that won’t feature any minor-league play, that won’t quite be the case. While many players will be participants in MLB 60-man player pools, not all potentially worthwhile candidates landed a spot.
Accordingly, there has been chatter about a small, unaffiliated, two-team “league” in which former big leaguers and upper-level minor-leaguers would play. The players would stay fresh and gain a showcases opportunity.
It turns out that the idea wasn’t driven by Major League Baseball, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic explains in an interesting report. The Nashville Sounds, presently the Triple-A affiliate of the Rangers, arrived upon the concept as a way to generate some revenue. It’s a whole different model from a typical affiliated minor-league club, more akin to an independent league effort.
The plan is for two teams of 22-man rosters to compete during the MLB season. In conjunction with the organization More Than Baseball, the Sounds are working on non-traditional means of bringing in revenue, including crowd-sourced payments and various media concepts. It seems there’s some possibility of R.A. Dickey and/or Ben Zobrist — long-time MLB regulars that live nearby — appearing in some form or fashion.
It’s both an appealing and complicated undertaking for a variety of reasons. It certainly could function as a service to out-of-work players. But there are risks, too. Traditional injury concerns are present along with pandemic-related health issues, all without the deep pockets of Major League Baseball. Ensuring fair player compensation and protection will be tricky. Dealing with mid-“season” roster changes could introduce new challenges.
You’ll want to read the entire article to understand the full scope of the effort. It certainly sounds as if those involved are pursuing this with good intentions and strong player engagement. But translating those positive vibes into a worthwhile campaign will certainly be tricky.
Mookie Betts On Resumption Of Play
The Dodgers acquired Mookie Betts to chase a 2020 World Series. Before that, Betts spurned extension efforts by the Red Sox, making the 2020 season a critical platform year. There’s a lot at stake for both parties in the pandemic-shaped campaign.
Betts, who is finally back in a Dodgers uniform and nearing a potential regular season debut, discussed the situation with media members including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. The 27-year-old outfielder indicated that his focus is on more immediate concerns rather than the past or the future.
Betts spoke about the two overarching issues that have dominated the national discourse since baseball hit pause in March. He indicated that he is focused right now on health and safety matters as camp gets underway. While he expressed some uncertainty as to whether the league can manage a return to play in the midst of the spread of the coronavirus, Betts says it’s a matter that’s ultimately out of his hands.
The superstar had a different take on the social justice issues he also discussed. Betts spoke of a personal responsibility to “bring baseball into Black communities.” He also indicated displeasure with MLB’s handling of the protests that erupted in the wake of George Floyd’s death. “I think baseball did not do a good job of that,” said Betts, “but I think voices were heard and that’s the main thing, that we get our voices heard and to make some changes.”
With Betts focused on gearing up to play in 2020, he says he’s not worried about contractual matters. “Free agency is on the back burner,” he says. While it’s likely MLB teams will be keeping a tighter hold on their wallets this winter, Betts doesn’t seem to be having second thoughts on his decision not to take what the Red Sox offered him in prior contract talks.
“I don’t regret turning that [extension offer] down,” says Betts. “Once I make a decision, I don’t go back and question myself. So I don’t worry about that. The market will be what the market is. We’ll just kind of cross that bridge when we get there.”
While Betts is quite sensibly not thinking about dollars and cents at the moment, it’s hard not to ponder his future here at MLBTR. We’ll see what the truncated 2020 season holds, but it’s quite likely that Betts will reach the open market as the best free agent position player in recent memory. Setting aside intervening financial uncertainties, it would stand to reason that Betts could top Bryce Harper‘s 13-year, $330MM pact and Mike Trout‘s ten-year, $360MM extension (reached when he was two years from free agency). That’s all the more true given the boosted earnings we saw this past winter, when the Yankees promised $324MM to Gerrit Cole, a pitcher who was a full year older than Betts will be when he hits free agency.
Just how the market shapes up is impossible to say at this point. The near-term financial outlook is sure to depend on what kind of season MLB is able to pull off in the midst of a pandemic.
Robbie Ray Discusses Pending Free Agency
As a pending free agent who’s about to embark on a pandemic-shortened season, Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray is facing an especially uncertain future. Ray figures to cash in on his next contract – at least, relative to the majority of other soon-to-be free agents – but perhaps not to the extent that he would have on the heels of a typical 162-game campaign. However, Ray is optimistic he won’t take too much of a hit.
In regards to the upcoming free-agent market, Ray told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Zach Buchanan of The Athletic): “I think there’s still going to be money out there for guys. You can look towards next year, getting fans in the stands and things like that. I don’t think there’s going to be any kind of issue.”
It remains to be seen whether that will be the case a year from now. In the meantime, Ray – who’s certainly hoping to make a push for as big a payday as possible next winter – has spent the past few months ramping up in an effort to hit the ground running when the regular season kicks off. With that in mind, he’s set on playing in 2020.
“I, honestly, need to pitch this year,” he said.
As things stand, Ray will enter the market as one of the most appealing starters available in a class that looks as if it will generally lack young, high-caliber options. Ray hasn’t consistently posted top-end run prevention numbers, evidenced by his 4.11 ERA/3.97 FIP across 790 2/3 innings, and he also walked a bit over four batters per nine in the majors. But his age (29 in October) and elite strikeout ability should help lead to a good amount of interest from teams looking to better their rotations. Dating back to 2016, Ray’s 11.86 K/9 ranks third among all starters, trailing Chris Sale and Max Scherzer. He also came in third in that category last season, fanning 12.13 hitters per nine to rank behind only Scherzer and Gerrit Cole.
COVID-19 Notes: Bryant, Nola, Jays, A’s, Giants
Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant has become the game’s latest superstar to voice his apprehension over a potential 2020 Major League Baseball campaign. Speaking to Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times and other reporters Monday, Bryant stated in regards to MLB’s COVID-19 testing problems: ‘‘What we agreed to was testing every day. We have had guys here that showed up on Sunday and hadn’t gotten tested again seven days later. And then you don’t get the results for two days, either, so that’s nine days without knowing. And I think if we really want this to succeed, we’re going to have to figure this out.”
Bryant – who had to wait five days between his first and second tests – added that he doesn’t feel comfortable about playing this year, which aligns with what fellow MVP winner Mike Trout stated last week. Like Trout, there’s no indication Bryant will opt out. However, Bryant noted that it ‘‘wouldn’t surprise me at all” if the league were to end up canceling the season.
- Phillies No. 1 starter Aaron Nola had been out of Summer Camp because of coronavirus protocols, but he reported Monday and revealed why he was sidelined, per the Associated Press. While Nola did not test positive, he was exposed to someone who did, which forced him to stay away from the club for a short period. “If you don’t have symptoms and you come in contact with somebody who ends up testing positive, you’re out for probably at least seven days,” Nola said. “That could possibly be two starts. It’s obviously going to be a hard part of it. And sometimes it’s out of our control. We just have to try to do our part every day.”
- The Blue Jays opened Summer Camp in Toronto, but one of their players tested positive for the coronavirus at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., Bob Nightengale of USA Today was among those to report. As a result, the Blue Jays left 12 players in Florida who had “direct contact” with the person who tested positive, Nightengale writes. This isn’t the first time the virus has posed a significant problem for Toronto, which had to shut down its spring complex last month because of positive tests. And COVID could prevent the Jays from playing their regular-season home games in Toronto this year, though they continue to hope that won’t be the case.
- Delays in receiving test results have been a problem for the Athletics, whose general manager, David Forst, has expressed his frustration over the matter. But the A’s finally did get the latest results, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, and their position players were able to practice in Oakland on Monday night. Forst did not comment on whether anyone tested positive, though.
- Two more individuals in the Giants organization have logged positive tests, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Their identities aren’t known to the public, so it’s unclear whether they’re players. Giants outfielder Hunter Bishop and infielder Luis Madero previously tested positive.
Dodgers Sign 2nd-Rounder Clayton Beeter
The Dodgers have signed supplemental second-round pick Clayton Beeter to an over-slot bonus worth $1,196,500, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets. As the 66th overall pick, the right-hander’s selection came with a recommended value of $1,003,300. The Dodgers added Beeter to their 60-man player pool after signing him.
Los Angeles acquired the pick it used on on Beeter from Minnesota in the teams’ offseason trade centering on righty Kenta Maeda. The 21-year-old Beeter’s a past Tommy John surgery patient (2017), but he rebounded to post effective numbers at Texas Tech from 2019-20. While Beeter only threw 41 2/3 innings as a Red Raider, he notched a 2.81 ERA with a jaw-dropping K/9 of 15.8. Beeter did walk almost a batter per inning (8.7 BB/9) during his first college season, but that number shrunk to a far more palatable 1.7 this year. He possesses a 93 to 98 mph fastball and a “wipeout” curveball-slider combination, according to Callis, and entered the draft as MLB.com’s 51st-ranked prospect.
Now that Beeter’s under wraps, the Dodgers have secured all six of their picks from this year’s class. Here’s a refresher on their other five choices:
- Bobby Miller, 1st round, 29th overall. Slot value: $2,424,600 (Signed for $2.2MM)
- Landon Knack, 2-60. Slot value: $1,157,400 (Signed for $715K)
- Jake Vogel, 3-100. Slot value: $581.6K (Signed for $1,622,500)
- Carson Taylor, 4-130. Slot value: $434.3K (Signed for $400K)
- Gavin Stone, 5-159. Slot value: $327.2K (Signed for $100K)
Rob Manfred Reportedly “Jumped On” Mike Rizzo Over COVID Testing Comments
The reigning World Series champion Nationals are among the teams whose COVID-19 testing hasn’t gone smoothly in Summer Camp. The club had to cancel its workout Monday because of a delay in receiving coronavirus results, and general manager Mike Rizzo voiced his dissatisfaction with the situation.
“Without accurate and timely testing it is simply not safe for us to continue with Summer Camp,” Rizzo said, in part. “Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and their lab. Otherwise, Summer Camp and the 2020 Season are at risk.”
Rizzo’s reaction didn’t go over well with commissioner Rob Manfred, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports. A source told Svrluga, “The commissioner jumped on him for that.”
While Manfred may be upset that Rizzo made his displeasure known publicly, the GM’s concerns are understandable, partially because the virus has taken such a significant toll on his club. Two of the Nationals’ players, whose identities aren’t publicly known, tested positive over the weekend, manager Dave Martinez announced (via Jessica Camerato of MLB.com). Even before then, the Nationals saw infielder Ryan Zimmerman, right-hander Joe Ross and catcher Welington Castillo opt out of playing this year on account of health-related worries. Additionally, closer Sean Doolittle – whose wife has a lung condition that puts her at higher risk of contracting the virus, and who’s not a sure bet to play this season – has expressed concern over the delay in results that the Nats have experienced.
Meanwhile, this could go down as the latest p.r. hit for Manfred, who – after months of sparring over season length with the union – implemented a 60-game schedule in June. Manfred went on to suggest last week that the league never thought playing more than 60 games in 2020 would be feasible, though he subsequently walked back those remarks.
Aaron Judge Says He’ll Be Ready For Opening Day
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge appears to be a full go as Summer Camp opens. He told reporters including James Wagner of the New York Times (Twitter link) that he’s ready for action and preparing for Opening Day.
Judge’s health likely would’ve been a big storyline and major area of uncertainty for the Yanks had the season gotten underway as normal. But when the pandemic put things on ice, Judge had a chance for a lengthy respite to heal from nettlesome rib injury that originally took quite some time to diagnose.
While camp just got started, it’s just over two weeks until baseball’s bizarre 2020 season will be rolling. The quick ramp creates a bit of added concern, but Judge indicated he has already been hitting and putting himself through the paces before reporting for the second preparatory phase of the year.
If indeed Judge — and some other notable Yankees — are fully healed up, they’ll make for an immensely imposing lineup. The short season is generally disadvantageous to the most talented teams, since shorter swings of fortune will create more opportunities for other organizations. Then again, it also means the loaded Yanks roster will not have to endure as long of a grind before launching a hopeful postseason run.
Kole Calhoun Tests Positive For COVID-19
Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun has tested positive for COVID-19, manager Torey Lovullo announced Monday (via Zach Buchanan of The Athletic). Fortunately, Calhoun’s asymptomatic and doing well, per Lovullo. Whether Calhoun will be ready for the start of the regular season is unclear, though, as he’ll have to quarantine for two weeks and test negative for the virus twice before returning to action.
A member of the Angels from 2012-19, Calhoun joined the Diamondbacks in free agency on a two-year, $16MM guarantee over the winter. The 32-year-old will bring a lifetime line of .249/.322/.424 and the strong right field defense he’s known for whenever he makes his Diamondbacks debut. The club has the likes of Ildemaro Vargas, Jon Jay, Tim Locastro and Josh Rojas among its potential outfield options in the event Calhoun does miss time.
Calhoun’s the third known member of the D-backs’ roster to test positive for the virus, joining pitchers Junior Guerra and Silvino Bracho. But they’re just a few of several individuals in the organization who have tested positive, while starter Mike Leake opted out of the season altogether because of health concerns.
Steve Cohen Expected To Reenter Mets Bidding
Move over, A-Rod/J.Lo? Steve Cohen, whose prior deal with the Mets collapsed, is evidently lurking for a second attempt. Thornton McEnery of the New York Post reports that the billionaire is preparing to participate in the first round of bidding.
Cohen had an agreement all but locked up with the existing Wilpon ownership group. But the unusual accord left substantial control rights with the Wilpons for a period of time and the sides ultimately came to disagree over how the transition would occur.
That original pact fell apart in early February, making for an inopportune timeline for the Wilpons. Cohen was (and is) a minority owners of the club; talks with him occurred without a broader bidding process. So when things collapsed, there wasn’t another party to turn to. And then came the coronavirus pandemic.
While there are multiple parties showing real interest in pursuing the franchise, there’s no indication to this point that a serious bidding war is underway. Cohen is said to have been “monitoring” the situation and still seems to be far and away the most qualified bidder. The Wilpons are reportedly asking for $2B — well less than what they would’ve originally received from Cohen — and don’t appear to have much hope of reaching that figure unless he jumps back into the picture.
MLB, MLBPA Seeking Additional Medical Lab Site For COVID Testing
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.