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Concerning the decision to not waive the blackout rule this year, that is beyond ridiculous. They are probably afraid that it would set a “dangerous precedent.”
Just another example of balance sheet thinking while putting fans and growth of the game at a much lower priority.
How many asterisks can they add to this season? Some of Manfred’s pet ideas may slip in through the side door.
Cover your eyes baseball traditionalists: If #MLB and the union reach an agreement, they will consider having lengthy extra inning games ending in a tie, and have agreed to start extra innings with a runner on second base. https://t.co/ZxzGzoFpDf via @USATODAY
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 19, 2020
With Covid 19 cases now hitting some hitting MLB organizations and with the never ending financial negotiations seemingly at another stalemate it seems to me the likelihood of no baseball in 2020 has to be over 50%.
Sure doesn’t look good. That’s what happens when you have a Harvard educated lawyer as your lead negotiator. Leads to polarization. They should have turned it over to professional arbitrators in March.
bccran said:
“They should have turned it over to professional arbitrators in March.”
This is what you and I might say, but we have no financial stake in the matter. Do not think for a second that is how the owners feel. They would not turn their $ control over to the whims of an arbitrator. As the long stall continued, they have clearly been going out of their way to avoid that very possibility.
Not sure what happened here. It seems this article has been taken down. Was Nightengale ahead of his interference?
Stay at home orders, #MLB style: Every team with possible exception being the Toronto #Bluejays because of Canadian travel restrictions, will train in their home cities for spring training 2.0. https://t.co/ujovSjTaOr
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 20, 2020
Here’s the article for the Mets/Yanks stay at home order.
I would like to see a season in 2020. One less year on Fowlers contract, and Cecil’s last year would be favorable to the Cardinals future plans. Also, what about a trading deadline? I assume there would be one at a midpoint in a 60-70 game season.
C27 asked:
1) I would like to see a season in 2020. One less year on Fowlers contract, and Cecil’s last year would be favorable to the Cardinals future plans.
2) Also, what about a trading deadline? I assume there would be one at a midpoint in a 60-70 game season.
!) Remember that in the March agreement, the players got the year of service time either way.
2) I have seen nothing written about this, but my gut tells me that the owners would want a more open trade market than usual. The tankers/money losers may be highly motivated to dump payroll – if other owners (who are less expense sensitive in 2020) are willing to take it on.
I am liking the thought that we are getting down to only 1 more year of Fowler. Maybe if he starts slow in 2021, the front office will actually get rid of him early. At that point, they will only be eating part of 1 year.
Revised dates…
The #MLB proposal remains for 60 games but spring training likely would be pushed back to the June 29-July 4 week, with hopes of starting the season around July 24-27.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 21, 2020
In letter to Tony Clark today, Rob Manfred said, “I really believe we are fighting over an impossibility on games.” Says given need to relocated teams from Florida, earliest players could report is June 29, leaving 66 days to play 60 games.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 21, 2020
I am so weary of it all that I honestly do not care about 60 vs. 70 games, but I do find it interesting that the possibility of double-headers seemed to vanish into the ether once owners decided they want as short of a regular season as possible.
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) June 21, 2020
Call the season off. It’s incredible that Manfred and Clark are both acting like they are oblivious to the fact that athletes and MLB staff are getting sick, presently, with the coronavirus. In the spirit of reconciliation both Manfred and Clark should call a press conference together and call the season off. If they can’t do that, then one or the other of them should do it.
I think the only debate remaining here is how big the asterisk for this season is going to be…
This reads more like sour grapes from the owners whose proposal for expanded playoffs was rejected. If the owners wanted a more relevant season, they could have played more games, but they didn’t want to pay for that. So instead, they resorted to a bigger post-season, one in which teams with losing records would likely have participated. How is that more relevant? Expanded playoffs had everything to do with money and nothing to do with actual competitiveness.
Bottom line is that it appears that expanded playoffs are dead for 2020, so it is time to move ahead…
Trouble with only a 10-team postseason in a 60-game schedule is that it greatly increases the probability of sheer luck;bad teams making it and quality teams left behind. The #Pirates were 1/2 game behind the #Stlcards at 2019 All-Star Break. They finished last, 22G behind Cards.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 23, 2020
IMO, these negotiations were about posturing for the upcoming CBA negotiations. Both sides got to know each other better out of it.
I wish the players would have approved expanded playoffs. I would have liked to have seen what it looked like.
Expanded playoffs would not have hurt the players at all. I think the players rejected expanded playoffs because they wanted to punish the owners for not giving them more of what they wanted. That does not bode well for future negotiations.
This is a different point of view why.
I think if the owners wanted expanded playoffs, they should have offered more than $58 million, which also included waiving a potential grievance.
— Craig Edwards (@craigjedwards) June 23, 2020
Here is some very rough math. With 16 teams in the expanded playoffs and 26 players per roster, that is 416 players who would have participated. When you spread $58 million across them, it averages to $139,000 each. (If actual rosters are bigger, it would have diluted the average further.)
The players must have felt they would give up more in other areas by not accepting the total offer, which included expanded playoffs as just one component. MLB did not give the players the opportunity to pick items off the menu (which I understand – not complaining, just observing).
Update:
Grievance estimated to be worth up to $900 MM in this estimate, at least.
Union obviously sees the grievance as potentially very valuable, possibly worth up to 900M according to player side person. Union likely would have to show MLB was the one dragging its feet. That case might have been better had they stuck to “when and where” tack of 2 weeks ago?
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 23, 2020
Reminder: The National League will join the American League and use the DH this year under the safety and health protocols. Players also are expected to have 72 hours upon an agreement to inform their clubs whether they plan to play.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 23, 2020
Also this year the MLB plan is to use the Minor League rule with the runner on second to expedite extra-inning games ending, since the spring will be short, the schedule will be tight and there’s a desire to avoid 15-inning games and longer.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 23, 2020
Decisions decisions. Where to do ST. Fla and Az are both hot spots now but so are most MLB cities. St Louis leads the state and while I haven’t kept close track even Springfield is having a late surge. Springfield is where the taxi squad will train and quarter if I read correctly. A couple of weekends ago the Mo National Guard conducted free virus testing in Springfield for two days. Open for 12 hours per day. Tested several hundred and not a single positive – amazing. If the players are expecting some guarantees on health, they may as well hang up their spikes because nobody can guarantee that. So the virus stated the problem and I am beginning to think that the virus will settle the problem.
To clarify, Spring Training 2.0 is expected to be held in the regular home cities except in the few cases where it will not be allowed (Toronto is expected to be one).
Former reporter for The Cardinal Nation putting a first-hand perspective on the runner on second in extra innings rule. Two fly ball outs can equal a win. https://t.co/VNJ3lIZdlt
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) June 23, 2020
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