Major League Baseball players reportedly countered the owners proposal of a 60-game with their own 70-game schedule on Thursday, as the two sides inched closer to a deal that would allow a shortened season to begin. The sides have apparently agreed that the players will be played their full pro-rated salaries and the playoffs will…
MLB players reportedly counter owners’ offer with proposed 70-game schedule — Daily News
From hard-line owners to hard-done by players to frustrated fans, we’re long past the point of having a Major League Baseball season that would satisfy all of the senses. Read More
Could unique circumstances of a shortened season break the Blue Jays way? — Toronto Sun
From hard-line owners to hard-done by players to frustrated fans, we’re long past the point of having a Major League Baseball season that would satisfy all of the senses.
But with news on Wednesday that MLB and its players association are finally negotiating face-to-face and in good faith, we can for the first time start imagining what such a season would look like and the potential implications for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Whether 60 games or 70 (and most likely closer to the latter given the indication from sources on Wednesday) the Jays will certainly be one of the most intriguing organizations to watch in whatever form 2020 takes.
Seen by many around baseball as a rapidly moving towards contention club, it is conceivable that the Jays could be a surprise factor given the reduced sample size whatever form of a protracted schedule may bring and the expanded playoff format that has already successfully been negotiated.
As is the case with all 30 MLB teams, an abridged season comes at a potential cost for Jays management, which for the most part feels it was on the right track before the COVID-19 pandemic intervened. But it also creates a unique set of circumstances that could benefit the Jays as much or more than many of its rivals.
Here’s a look at some of the concerns no doubt filtering through the minds of team president Mark Shapiro, general manager Ross Atkins and the rest of the baseball operations department as a season moves closer to reality.
PROSPECT PROSPECTUS
Firmly entrenched in the draft and development playbook, the Jays certainly have reason to be optimistic with some of the groundwork already in place.
But how will a 65-70 game season affect those on the accelerated path to becoming potential MLB stars?
It was difficult not to be captivated by the 2019 emergence of players such as Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.. And part of the excitement of 2020 was to track the continued growth of that group and others. Will that progress get stunted because of a shortened season and the reduction in at-bats and playing opportunities defensively? We shall see.
One of the great unknowns of 2020 — regardless of the big league season — is what will happen to the minor leagues. The consensus seems to be that there won’t be any farm team action, which could be devastating to a group loaded with prospects.
To their credit, the Jays by all accounts are among the more progressive organizations in terms of player development but it will take all that creativity and more to come up with ways to continue the progress shown by a group of players such as infielder Jordan Groshans, this year’s first-round pick Austin Martin, plus would-be stud pitchers such as Nate Pearson and Alek Manoah.
RYU THE DAY
When the Blue Jays braintrust was given clearance to break open the Rogers Communications bank on a four-year, $80-million deal for ace left-handed starter Hyun-Jin Ryu it was heralded as a signal that this management group was serious about winning now. Or very soon, at least.
Given that Ryu turned 33 two weeks after baseball (and the rest of the world) was halted, it’s not a stretch to suggest that the Jays anticipated the best performance years to be at the front end of that deal. A shortened season certainly has the impact to diminish the impact of the signing.
Having to pay Ryu a maximum of 40% of that first $20-million might assuage the Rogers beancounters, but they pursued Ryu in part to help accelerate the young core’s move towards contention.
As for the dreamy side of the Ryu influence, should the South Korean southpaw emerge as a true ace, his value in a shortened season may actually increase. Sure, he might top out at 15 starts, but if those turns in the rotation turn out to be virtual guaranteed win nights, the chance of the Jays being a surprise factor increases.
WHAT ABOUT NATE?
Other than tracking the development of Ryu and his young position player teammates, one of the highlights of the month in Dunedin (way, way, way back in February and early March) was seeing flame-throwing right hander Nate Pearson in action.
The first-round pick regularly hit triple digits with his fastball and showed every sign of being the Jays No. 2 starter in Grapefruit League play. The plan was always for Pearson to start 2020 in Buffalo, but with no triple-A season and an arm in need of innings, few would be surprised if Pearson was in that rotation at some point early on in the 2020 season 2.0.
The management and fan perspective would differ on Pearson’s season, but may have the same end game. The kid needs meaningful innings and the big leagues seem far and away the most viable option. And for the fans, having Pearson in the lineup is not only incredibly exciting, but significantly increases the team’s chances of being in contention.
Back to the Jays fans dream sequence: A Ryu-Pearson one-two punch in the rotation could be both fascinating and formidable stuff.
ROGERS THAT
Given the corporate structure of Jays ownership, we’re guessing it is a safe bet that Rogers Communications was not part of a minority group who favoured scrapping the season altogether.
Consider that it’s all one happy family — a baseball team, a TV network and a radio network — that thrives on the synergies and a reduced schedule is already exacting a price.
Television ratings were surprisingly strong the past two seasons, fuelled in part by the young guns and the nature of being ideal summer-time programming. It can be argued that few (if any) teams in baseball benefit more from its TV deal than the Jays given the inherent boon of 162 games of in-house programming with good numbers.
Lopping 100 or so off of that is no doubt a hit to Rogers Communications, so just like the players, the more games MLB is able to cram into the limited window, the better.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS?
Shapiro and Atkins won’t publicly venture down this road, but fans sure will. So the question is a valid one: Are the above factors trumped by the fact that the Jays may actually be sitting on a superfecta of factors that make them one of the most intriguing contenders in MLB?
Online bookmaker sportsinteraction.com was among the quickest out with odds on the proposed MLB season. With a caveat of a minimum 60 games being played, the over/under on the Jays win percentage was set at 46.5%.
A shortened-season, expanded playoffs, Ryu and Pearson plus all the young guns certainly sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Longtime Giants pitcher Mike McCormick, who won the Cy Young Award in 1967, has died. He was 81.
Former Cy Young winner Mike McCormick dies at age 81 — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
Major League Baseball and the Players Association have been at odds over a plan to play an abbreviated 2020 season for weeks. And while they still disagree about plenty of things, both sides agree they’d like to play baseball into the fall. A late-October or November completion date doesn’t appear to be out of the…
Dr. Anthony Fauci Urges MLB To Avoid Playing In October, If Possible — NESN.com
Major League Baseball and the Players Association have been at odds over a plan to play an abbreviated 2020 season for weeks. And while they still disagree about plenty of things, both sides agree they’d like to play baseball into the fall. A late-October or November completion date doesn’t appear to be out of the question just yet, though negotiations are at a standstill.
Should they come to some sort of agreement, however, Dr. Anthony Fauci thinks the season should go no longer than September. “If the question is time, I would try to keep it in the core summer months and end it not with the way we play the World Series, until the end of October when it’s cold,” the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in a telephone interview with The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. “I would avoid that.”
Several MLB players and coaches reportedly have tested positive for the coronavirus of late, leading the league to wonder if it’s even safe to begin a season at this time. And with cases expected to spike in September, Fauci believes it’s probably a good idea not to let the season go much further than that. (Underscore the “probably” part, he says.) “This virus is one that keeps fooling us. Under most circumstances — but we don’t’ know for sure here — viruses do better when the weather starts to get colder and people start spending more time inside, as opposed to outside,” Fauci said. “The community has a greater chance of getting infected. “The likelihood is that, if you stick to the core summer months, you are better off, even though there is no guarantee. … If you look at the kinds of things that could happen, there’s no guarantee of anything. You would want to do it at a time when there isn’t the overlap between influenza and the possibility of a fall second wave.” The clock is ticking, and MLB is running out of time, and fast.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/06/dr-anthony-fauci-urges-mlb-to-avoid-playing-in-october-if-possible/
For Immediate Release
Statement of MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark
NEW YORK, June 15 – Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today released the following statement:
“Players are disgusted that after Rob Manfred unequivocally told Players and fans that there would ‘100%’ be a 2020 season, he has decided to go back on his word and is now threatening to cancel the entire season. Any implication that the Players Association has somehow delayed progress on health and safety protocols is completely false, as Rob has recently acknowledged the parties are ‘very, very close.’ This latest threat is just one more indication that Major League Baseball has been negotiating in bad faith since the beginning. This has always been about extracting additional pay cuts from Players and this is just another day and another bad faith tactic in their ongoing campaign.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball appears headed to its shortest season since the 1870s. Continuing a contentious back-and-forth in a bitter dispute over pay, baseball players told the commissioner’s office on Saturday night that additional talks to start the season during the coronavirus pandemic are pointless and said owners should order a return […]
Baseball players say talks futile, tell MLB to order return — PCPatriot
UPDATE (11:31 p.m. ET): There actually will not be another proposal from the league, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. There will be NO counter from #MLB. It’s in Commissioner Rob Manfred’s hands. — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 14, 2020 ORIGINAL STORY: The negotiations to start the 2020 Major League Baseball season don’t appear to…
MLB Rumors: League Responds To Denial Of Latest Offer; Not Expected To Send New Proposal — NESN.com
With no baseball to be played and an infuriating impasse between Major League Baseball and its players, Randal Grichuk has to get his swings somewhere other than at the plate. Read More
Blue Jays Grichuk lashes out at MLB owners and commissioner Rob Manfred — Toronto Sun
The 2020 Major League Baseball Draft is in the books, and there’s far less to sort through this year, as the event consisted of just five rounds — instead of the usual 40 — in response to the coronavirus pandemic. There were 160 players selected Wednesday as part of the two-night draft, which was held…
2020 MLB Draft: Winners, Losers Of Baseball’s Unique, Five-Round Event — NESN.com
The 2020 Major League Baseball Draft is in the books, and there’s far less to sort through this year, as the event consisted of just five rounds — instead of the usual 40 — in response to the coronavirus pandemic. There were 160 players selected Wednesday and Thursday as part of the two-night draft, which was held remotely and seemed even more bizarre given the uncertainty hanging over the 2020 MLB season. So, which teams made the most of the condensed format and which teams whiffed with their picks? Let’s break down the winners and losers, acknowledging full well it’s nearly impossible to place teams into two such buckets in the immediate aftermath of an MLB draft since it often takes years for the players chosen (and signed) to make an impact at the major league level.
WINNERS
Detroit Tigers The Tigers owned the No. 1 pick and they didn’t screw it up. While one could argue Austin Martin is a better all-around player than Spencer Torkelson, selected first overall out of Arizona State, the Tigers added a prodigious power-hitting prospect who could mash from the middle of their order sooner rather than later. If that’s not enough, Detroit used its second-round pick on Ohio State catcher Dillon Dingler, who many were stunned to see go undrafted on Day 1, and its Competitive Balance Round B pick on LSU outfielder Daniel Cabrera, another college prospect who fills an organizational need for near-MLB-ready bats.
Kansas City Royals Don’t be surprised if we look back several years down the road and wonder how three players were selected ahead of Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy, whom the Royals picked at No. 4 overall. This year’s draft was loaded with college pitchers, and Lacy arguably is the best of the bunch. He’s a hard-throwing southpaw with the type of stuff scouts dream about, so there’s definitely ace upside there. Kansas City supplemented the Lacy selection with strong picks in subsequent rounds, highlighted by Nick Loftin at No. 32 overall. Loftin, a Baylor product, might be the best shortstop in the draft, although he also has the versatility to play other positions.
Toronto Blue Jays Martin was in the discussion to go No. 1 overall, and he seemed like a lock to go No. 2 once the Tigers picked Torkelson. Instead, the Baltimore Orioles threw everyone for a loop by selecting Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad, paving the way for Martin to fall to No. 5, where the Blue Jays nabbed perhaps the best all-around player in the draft. Toronto already has an impressive young core. It’ll soon become even stronger. MLB Draft Results: Here’s Every Pick Of Five-Round 2020 Draft
LOSERS
Baltimore Orioles The Orioles owned the No. 2 pick and, unlike the Tigers, they did screw it up. Or so it seems. While Kjerstad could develop into a nice player, the flaws in his game — namely his strikeout tendencies — make it difficult to justify the selection, especially since Baltimore didn’t really take advantage of the money it presumably saved by drafting him over Martin. If you own the No. 2 pick, you better come away with an elite prospect. The O’s didn’t.
San Francisco Giants The Giants selected catcher Joey Bart with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft. Now, two years later, they went back to the same well, choosing North Carolina State backstop Patrick Bailey. This obviously gives San Francisco enviable depth behind the plate, but Bailey’s offensive upside is limited relative to other prospects available. The Giants, who owned seven picks, including five among the top 85, should’ve aimed a bit higher
. Texas Rangers The Boston Red Sox raised some eyebrows on Day 1 by selecting Nick Yorke at No. 17. But what about the Rangers following up their selection of Justin Foscue at No. 14 — a reach in itself — by choosing Evan Carter at No. 50. Carter wasn’t ranked among MLB Pipeline’s top 200 prospects. In fact, he wasn’t ranked among Baseball America’s top 500 prospects. Texas hasn’t drafted well in recent years, and it appears that trend has continued.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/06/2020-mlb-draft-winners-losers-of-baseballs-unique-five-round-event/
Alex Cora is accepting responsibility for his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, but he said Thursday that he is tired of the chatter that it was just he and then-player Carlos Beltran behind the infamous scheme. Particularly bothersome is that then-Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow fingered him as the ringmaster. “If there is […]
Astros’ sign-stealing scandal ‘not a two-man show,’ Cora says — Canoe
Rangers outfielder Delino DeShields said that in 2015, his rookie season, Yankees fans taunted him and called him the N-word while he was in left field.
Delino DeShields says Yankees fans called him the N-word — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
As a man who once defiantly ditched his baseball career to work for a toilet company, Vida Blue understands the contentious nature of contract negotiations better than most. But not even Blue can sympathize with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association as they haggle over money as a sports-starved nation grapples with the…
Vida Blue rips Major League Baseball, players for not reaching a deal — Times-Standard
The view from left field 