Latest On Nationals’ Covid-19 Testing
TODAY: The Nationals have no new positive cases from their latest round of testing, per the Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli (via Twitter). The Nationals continue to work towards hosting the Braves on Monday, but no official announcement has yet been made.
4:55pm: Three Nationals players have tested positive, and the Nats are awaiting another test from a player that is likely positive, Rizzo told Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic and other reporters (Twitter link). Rizzo said one of those players has a fever, but the rest are asymptomatic. The entire team is now self-quarantining, Nightengale tweets. It’s unclear whether the Nats and Mets will play at all this weekend.
10:45am: Despite a previously scheduled off-day on Friday, the Nats and Mets will not make up their game tomorrow, tweets Olney. Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears the same, adding that the league prefers to exercise extreme caution, particularly given that the additional early off-days in the schedule and the two teams’ geographic proximity makes it easier to reschedule the opener.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the Nats are awaiting official confirmation from a follow-up test, but initial results from the latest wave of tests did reveal a second positive among their players.
10:15am: Tonight’s season-opening contest between the Nationals and the Mets has been postponed due to Covid-19 related issues, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter link). The Nats were known to be down five players as of yesterday, due to one positive test from a player and five close contacts (four players, one staffer).
Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said yesterday that his club was expecting to make a series of corresponding roster moves and play as scheduled. That, apparently, will not be the case. ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweets that there are concerns about “at least one more” positive test among the Nationals this morning.
The names of the player or players who tested positive aren’t known, although some of the roster moves that had been planned by the Nationals had come to light. The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty reported last night that outfielder Yadiel Hernandez, infielder Luis Garcia and lefty Sam Clay were all ticketed for the Majors (Twitter links), while FanSided’s Robert Murray added that catcher Tres Barrera was in line to be added to the big league club as well.
Under the league’s 2021 health and safety protocols, an individual who tests positive is subject to a 10-day quarantine period, while close contacts are subject to seven-day quarantines. The first positive test for the Nationals came Monday morning, although the result wasn’t learned by the club until early Wednesday.
COVID Notes: 3/30/21
The latest on coronavirus-related situations around the sport…
- The Astros announced that Myles Straw, Abraham Toro, and Garrett Stubbs have rejoined the team after clearing COVID-19 protocols. (MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart was among those to report the news.) The trio were absent for contract-tracing purposes in the wake of another positive test within Houston’s camp.
- Matt Barnes‘ positive COVID-19 test over the weekend was determined to be a false positive or a non-infectious positive, and the reliever has been cleared to return to Red Sox camp. Barnes tested negative several times before being allowed to rejoin the team, and with only a few days of action missed, Barnes tells Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe and other reporters that he is ready for Opening Day.
- Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter tested positive for COVID-19, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck) yesterday. Other coaches are out of camp while contact tracing and further tests are administered, though it appears to be somewhat precautionary, as Hinch said that “no one else — player, staff — has been impacted or affected by this.” The Tigers have yet to decide who will act as on the on-field pitching coach while Fetter is quarantined. Fetter is entering his first season with the organization after previously working as the University of Michigan’s pitching coach.
COVID Notes: 3/28/21
The latest coronavirus situations to monitor around baseball…
Latest Updates
- Right-hander Spencer Turnbull will miss at least the Tigers‘ first few series of the year, manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other reporters. Turnbull has been away from Spring Training camp since March 20 due to healthy and safety protocols, and the club placed him on the COVID injured list earlier this week. Back on March 20, Hinch made the point to note that Turnbull wasn’t in violation of any team rules himself, so it’s possible Turnbull just needs some extra time to ramp up after pitching only nine Grapefruit League innings.
Earlier Today
- Utilityman Abraham Toro and catcher/outfielder Garrett Stubbs are away from camp due to health and safety protocols, Astros manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (Twitter link) and other reporters. The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome reported yesterday that a player in the Astros’ camp is a presumed positive COVID-19 case, and that at least three players (presumably Toro, Stubbs, and Myles Straw) were quarantined for contact tracing purposes. Baker hopes to have the players back in camp within the next one or two days.
- Eight members of the Red Sox organization are away from camp for contact-tracing purposes in the wake of Matt Barnes‘ positive COVID-19 test, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey and The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier). Four of the eight-person group are automatically in isolation due to being close contacts with Barnes, though Cora didn’t specify how many of the eight were players. Assuming negative tests, any players included within the eight-person group would likely be ready to play Thursday on Opening Day.
COVID Notes: 3/27/21
The latest on the coronavirus’ impact on the sport:
Latest Updates
- Astros outfielder Myles Straw was scratched from this afternoon’s Cactus League game as part of the league’s health and safety protocols, Jake Kaplan of the Athletic was among those to relay. Another player in camp has a presumed positive COVID-19 test and Straw was removed as a close contact, writes Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.
Earlier Notes
- Matt Barnes has tested positive for COVID-19, Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced to reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe) this morning. Barnes is currently asymptomatic, but he obviously won’t be available for Opening Day. Matt Andriese is among those who’ll be away from the team temporarily as a close contact. Barnes entered Spring Training competing with offseason trade acquisition Adam Ottavino for the closer role in Boston.
COVID Notes: 3/21/21
The latest on COVID-19 situations throughout the league:
- Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull looks unlikely to return to Spring Training before the end of camp due to health and safety protocols, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). Hinch didn’t rule out the possibility of Turnbull taking a turn in the season-opening rotation, although it seems he’s now more likely to be pushed to the back end rather than take the ball on Opening Day.
- Joey Votto returned to Reds’ camp today after testing positive for COVID-19 eleven days ago. The former MVP is still on Cincinnati’s COVID injured list, but has been cleared for workouts and Spring Training games. It remains to be seen whether Votto will be able to sufficiently ramp up in time for Opening Day, as Reds GM Nick Krall told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters that the team was going to let Votto “get his legs underneath him and go from there. I can’t give you a timetable.”
COVID Notes: 3/20/21
The latest on coronavirus-related situations around baseball…
- Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull is away from camp due to COVID-19 protocols, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery), though Hinch specified that Turnbull himself hadn’t done anything in violation of rules. Turnbull was a candidate to pitch for the Tigers on Opening Day, though it isn’t known how much time he may miss, or whether his readiness for one of the season’s first few games could be in question. Now entering his fourth MLB season, Turnbull is coming off a 2020 campaign that saw him post a 3.97 ERA and 50.0% grounder rate over 56 2/3 innings, allowing only two home runs. Advanced metrics weren’t as impressed, as Turnbull had a 5.00 SIERA and several below-average Statcast numbers.
Joey Votto Tests Positive For Covid-19
The Reds announced today that first baseman Joey Votto was placed on the injured list, and while no initial reason was listed, Votto gave clearance to reveal that he’s tested positive for Covid-19 (Twitter link via The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans). He’ll be away from the club for a minimum of 10 days under the 2021 health-and-safety protocols. It’s not clear whether Votto is experiencing symptoms, though the obvious hope will be for a swift recovery and return to the team.
The Reds are slated to host the Cardinals come April 1 on Opening Day. There’s no experienced backup option at first base on their 40-man roster should Votto not be back with the club by that point, although Mike Moustakas did play 10 games at the position last year and has logged a total of 14 Major League contests there. Outfielder Scott Heineman, who is on the 40-man roster but not assured of an Opening Day spot, has totaled 124 innings at first base between the minors and the big leagues.
In an ideal setting, Votto himself will be return in time to handle the task, though that’s not a given. Per the league’s guidelines, Votto will need to be cleared for return by a joint MLB/MLBPA committee and the Reds’ team physician, and Votto also will need to pass a mandatory cardiac evaluation and a determination that he no longer poses the risk of infecting others.
Votto will not count against the Reds’ 40-man roster while he is on the Covid-19-related injured list.
Quick Hits: Brewers, Orioles, Rockies, A’s
The Brewers will defer payments to both Jackie Bradley Jr. and Kolten Wong. Doing so allows the Brewers to add their salaries even amid the lost revenue of the coronavirus era, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). The Brewers will only pay out $3.5MM of Bradley’s $24MM total money this season, while Wong will receive just $3MM. Wong’s contract eventually will pay out $18MM in guaranteed money. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter) provides a fuller picture of Bradley’s deal. The latest possible payment Bradley will receive is a $7MM buyout for the 2023 season, which he would receive on January 1st, 2025. Elsewhere around the game…
- Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that sports venues will be allowed to open in his state at 50 percent capacity, per WBAL Anchor Phil Yacuboski and others (via Twitter). For the Orioles to open the doors at Camden Yards on opening day, they’ll still need approval from Mayor Brandon Scott, notes Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com (via Twitter). That last bit of bureaucracy notwithstanding, it does appear that the O’s will have fans in the stands for 2021.
- The Rockies have also been cleared to open the doors at Coors Field. With the help of MLB and state government officials, the Rockies can now host up to 21,363 fans per game, up from an initial limit of 12,500, writes MLB.com’s Thomas Harding.
- Jed Lowrie returned to the diamond today starting at second base for the Athletics. Persistent knee problems limited the 36-year-old to just nine games the past two seasons with the Mets. Of course, the A’s know Lowrie well. If he makes the team, it will be his third stint in Oakland after posting 3.2 bWAR in 1,228 plate appearances across 2013-14, then returning for 7.4 bWAR in 1,694 plate appearances from 2016-18. In his last season in Oakland, he was a first-time All-Star at the age of 34 after slashing .267/.353/.448 with 23 home runs. A lot rides on Lowrie making the team. If he does, Tony Kemp and Chad Pinder better fit into their roles as utility options off the bench, writes Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. If Lowrie doesn’t make the team, Kemp and Pinder will likely share the keystone in a more-or-less straight-up platoon.
COVID Notes: 3/8/21
The latest on COVID-19 and Major League Baseball:
- The Astros have placed Pedro Báez on the injured list, per a team announcement. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for Jake Odorizzi, whose signing has been made official. While the club didn’t give a reason for Báez’s IL placement, it’s almost certainly related to COVID-19. The veteran reliever was one of eight Houston pitchers to leave the team last weekend as part of the league’s health and safety protocols. It isn’t clear if Báez was one of the players to have tested positive for the coronavirus; players can also be placed on the COVID IL for exhibiting symptoms or for exposure.
MLB To Adopt Modified, Loan-Based Revenue Sharing Plan For 2021 Season
After being halted in 2020 due to the pandemic, Major League Baseball’s revenue-sharing system between bigger-market and smaller-market teams will return in an altered form in 2021, The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reports (subscription required). Smaller-market clubs will only receive half of the normal amount of funds this year, with the other half coming in 2022. The league itself will be covering the 2021 payments in a loan deal, with the larger-market teams expected to eventually pay MLB back.
“Expected” may be a loaded term, however, as Drellich notes that there are still several details about this plan that are unclear, or are open to interpretation based on comments from executives from different teams. One exec from a large-market team believes MLB’s loan is just for the sake of optics (“They can say whatever they want for politics, the understanding is it’ll never be paid back“), while a league source insists otherwise.
There also isn’t much clarity on when exactly big-market teams will have to pay back the league, or the other 50 percent of the 2021 payments directly to the smaller-market clubs, as commissioner Rob Manfred purposely “retained the ability to change payment schedules and the amounts paid based on economic conditions.” It is also possible that the next Collective Bargaining Agreement could change the revenue-sharing system significantly, so the loan repayment plan could be adjusted after the current CBA expires in December.
Revenue-sharing is often a combative issue even in the best of times, and in the words of one executive, there was “a big fight” amongst owners over how (or even if) the system should be restarted in 2021 and beyond. While an increasing number of markets are expecting to have some fans in the stands on Opening Day, the continued uncertainty about the state of the coronavirus pandemic has naturally left all teams wary about how much revenue they can expect to generate this season.
We already saw how the loss of revenues impacted several teams in all market sizes this offseason, as various clubs looked to limit or cut payroll expenditures. Smaller-market teams had less money on hand due to the lack of extra revenue-sharing dollars, while larger-market teams might have saved on those sharing payments but lost more in terms of pure dollars overall.
Exact numbers involved in revenue-sharing aren’t made public, and the total teams pay or receive can differ significantly from year to year. But for 2019, Drellich reports that the Dodgers (roughly $90MM), Red Sox (slightly less than Los Angeles), Cubs (roughly $70MM) and Yankees (over $60MM) were the teams who had the highest revenue-sharing bills. On the other end, the Marlins received around $70MM in 2019, and the Rays received somewhere in the $50MM-$60MM range each year from 2017-19. How small-market teams use those funds is another point of contention, as both the MLBPA and even some larger-market owners take a dim view of small-market teams who don’t reinvest the money into improving the on-field product.