Coronavirus

The Nashville Sounds, Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, issued a statement announcing that they’ve discussed with Major League Baseball the possibility of hosting a league for unsigned big league players this year:

The Nashville Sounds Baseball Club has had discussions with Major League Baseball about the possibility of hosting games that would consist of free agents competing against each other at First Horizon Park this summer. We continue to have meaningful discussions with baseball officials and local health officials with hopes of baseball in Nashville in 2020.

Sounds general manager Adam Nuse tells Chris Harris of WSMV News 4 in Nashville that the hope is to host a 40-game season in compliance with Phase Four of the “Roadmap for Reopening Nashville.” Notably, unlike Major League Baseball, that would allow the Sounds to sell tickets and bring their stadium to 25 percent capacity. Phase Four of the city’s plan cannot commence until July 20 at the earliest. Under the scenario being discussed, the Sounds would hope to sign 40-plus players and field two teams that would play against each other. Players would report seven to ten days prior to the launch of Phase Four, hoping that the league would hit its target date for the launch of the next phase.

It’s an interesting concept — one that hearkens back to the unofficial Spring Training camp for free agents prior to the 2018 season. The list of unsigned players isn’t currently as widespread as it was in that frigid offseason when the MLBPA organized that setup, but as noted today when exploring the upcoming lift of the transaction freeze, there are still plenty of recognizable names without teams. Others could yet surface when the freeze lifts, as several veterans on minor league deals could opt out with their current clubs or simply be cut loose. The Sounds might not even end up being the only minor league club to take such measures. Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report that MLB is expecting other clubs to explore similar endeavors.

The plan bears some similarity to independent ball, although if the Sounds succeed in luring enough former big leaguers or out-of-work upper-minors players, the quality of competition could be superior to that on the indie circuit. And while the money for players wouldn’t be overly enticing — The Athletic’s Jayson Stark tweeted that they’d be paid $400 per week — the league could serve as an extended showcase to allow teamless players to eventually find their way back onto a big league roster. Injuries will still pop up throughout the MLB season, and struggling players will be cut loose and replaced by taxi-squad players. Those taxi-squad spots would need to be back-filled.

It’s unclear at this point where MLB stands on the concept, but the Sounds seem committed to the idea regardless. Nuse tell Harris that the team is hopeful of cooperating with Major League Baseball but is currently planning to stage the league with or without the league’s cooperation.

10:07pm: Any player or manager who comes within 6 feet of an umpire to argue a call could receive a suspension, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

8:27pm: The league issued a statement (via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com) saying it expects to start the regular season on July 23 or 24. Players will be able to opt out of the season, but only those who are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus (or living with a high-risk person or pregnant spouse) will be able to do so while earning full and service time, according to Nightengale, who reports the league will have the right to relocate teams to neutral sites during the regular season and playoffs for health and safety reasons. Also, Nightengale notes that the regular IL will be 10 days for all players. As was reported earlier, there will also be a COVID-19 IL with no specific length.

8:02pm: Teams will play 40 games against divisional opponents and 20 interleague contests versus geographic counterparts (East v. East, for example), Heyman reports. As expected, there will be a DH in the NL, Nightengale relays. Camp will begin July 3, but players will have to show up for spring training no later than July 1, Nightengale adds.

7:33pm: The league and union have reached a deal on health and safety, Karl Ravech of ESPN reports. Players will head to camp before July 1 in order to undergo coronavirus testing, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The next round of spring training will take place in teams’ home cities.

5:32pm: Even though they have made progress, the two sides aren’t guaranteed to reach a deal on health and safety tonight, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. But if they do come to an agreement, the league would “likely” lift its freeze on transactions five days before the players report, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

4:45pm: Major League Baseball and the MLBPA are continuing to discuss health and safety protocols for a potential 2020 season, but it doesn’t appear the players will stand in the way of an agreement. The union has informed the league that the players intend to report to spring training 2.0 by July 1, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. A 60-game regular season would begin anywhere from July 24-26.

After months of squabbling between the league and the players, this is finally a welcome bit of good news for those hoping to see a baseball season this year. Because it was unable to reach an agreement on a season with the union, the league decided Monday to announce a 60-game season – which the game’s 30 owners unanimously approved. Meanwhile, the MLBPA stated: “While we had hoped to reach a revised back to work agreement with the league, the Players remain fully committed to proceeding under our current agreement and getting back on the field for the fans, for the game, and for each other.”

The hope is that will happen, though it’s unclear how a season could look. For instance, we don’t know whether some or all teams will play in their home ballparks (that appears especially unlikely for the Blue Jays) because of the coronavirus, which has victimized a slew of people around the sport over just the past few days. And if a season does occur, it looks as if there will be at least a few notable changes to the way things are typically done. The bottom line, though, is that signs continue to point to the start of the 2020 campaign in just a few weeks.

6:48pm: There’s expected to be a COVID-19 injured list for players “who test positive, have confirmed exposure or are exhibiting symptoms,” Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. That list would not be limited to a specific number of days.

6:40pm: Jayson Stark of The Athletic passes along more information (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4):

• The league’s transactions freeze will end Friday at noon ET, though it’s still debating whether to let teams sign players to minor league contracts.
• Teams must submit their 60-player pool by 3 ET on Sunday, and they’ll be able to take three taxi squad players on the road, though one has to be a catcher. All 60 of those players will be invited to spring training, but clubs will have the option of sending 20 to alternate sites.
• Players have to be added to the big league roster by Sept. 15 to be eligible for the postseason.
• Even though teams won’t have to invite all players on their 40-man rosters to spring training, they’ll still have to be paid.
• MLB has been talking with Nashville about keeping two teams of unsigned players there as an emergency pool. Those players would make $400 per week, and teams would have to pay a fee to Nashville to sign any of them.

3:42pm: If there is a 2020 Major League Baseball season, everybody who follows the game knows it’s going to be unusual for myriad reasons. The regular season’s only going to last 60 games, for one, and that’s assuming the COVID-19 pandemic won’t stand in the way. There will also be quite a few changes to the rules, as Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com relays (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7):

• MLB plans to implement 30-man rosters, up from 26, to start the season. However, the 30-man total will shrink to 28 on the 15th day of the season. It will go down to 26 on Day 29 and stay there for good.
• The trade deadline is normally July 31, but expectations are that it will move to Aug. 31 this year.
• A runner starting on second base in extra innings would only apply in the regular season, not the playoffs. The batter who made the final out in the previous inning would start extras on second.
• MLB may decide to suspend games that don’t last at least five innings due to weather. In other words, they’ll remain in limbo until the teams are able to finish them at a later date.
• Both pitchers and position players would likely have a 10-day injured list. For players who are seriously hurt, the 60-day IL would be cut to 45 days.
• Three days before the resumption of spring training, teams have to submit lists of 60 players who will be eligible to play for them during the season (40-man rosters plus taxi squads). All players would not show up to spring training at the same time. They’d report on a “staggered” basis, and they’d be at the ballpark at different times.

5:17pm: Per an official MLBPA statement: “While we had hoped to reach a revised back to work agreement with the league, the Players remain fully committed to proceeding under our current agreement and getting back on the field for the fans, for the game, and for each other.”

The statement noted that the union expects to reach agreement with the league on “health and safety protocols.” The players say they “await word from the league on the resumption of spring training camps and a proposed 2020 schedule.

5:15pm: It is now Manfred’s turn to act. MLB is expected to issue some kind of statement, at the least, this evening, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

5:00pm: The Major League Baseball Players Association has voted to reject the latest MLB proposal for the resumption of the 2020 season, per Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). This result was widely anticipated after the league informed the union it would not increase its offer of a sixty-game regular season.

Per the report, the players’ executive board voted 33-5 against the latest MLB plan. That’s not the same as voting against a season altogether. MLB and the MLBPA struck a deal in late March that would govern the campaign if commissioner Rob Manfred decides to announce a resumption of play. It is also still possible the league and union could still return to the bargaining table.

The trouble with that preexisting agreement, of course, is that the two parties have held different interpretations of it from the jump. If Manfred simply declares a start date and season schedule, with full game-for-game pay but a shorter schedule over which the players can accrue salary, it’s possible (perhaps all but certain) that the MLBPA will end up filing a grievance action seeking more money from the league. That would also mean a return to the regularly bargained postseason structure and other general rules (such as the DH in the National League) that had been slated for modification.