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 Red Sox refused to sit around and do nothing. Torii Hunter, a former major league outfielder who retired after the 2015 season, recently revealed he was subjected to racist taunts while playing at Fenway Park during his MLB career, even prompting him to place clauses in his MLB contracts ensuring he wouldn’t be traded…
Adam Jones Applauds Red Sox For Statement After Torii Hunter’s Comments — NESN.com
The Boston Red Sox refused to sit around and do nothing. Torii Hunter, a former major league outfielder who retired after the 2015 season, recently revealed he was subjected to racist taunts while playing at Fenway Park during his MLB career, even prompting him to place clauses in his MLB contracts ensuring he wouldn’t be traded to Boston. The Red Sox, taking Hunter’s comments very seriously, released a powerful statement Thursday night in which they acknowledged such incidents have occurred at Fenway Park and vowed to continue using their platform as a way to fight racial injustice. The Red Sox’s statement caught the attention of former major leaguer Adam Jones, who dealt with his own racist incident at Fenway Park in 2017 while playing for the Baltimore Orioles. Jones, who now plays baseball in Japan, applauded the message before then sharing a story about how Red Sox president Sam Kennedy and team owner John Henry handled the 2017 situation. Huuuge. https://t.co/4vWZiTIisE — 10 (@SimplyAJ10) June 11, 2020 I’ll never forget my convos the next day with Sam Kennedy (President of Baseball Ops) and the Owner John Henry. Much respect for them for coming into the visiting clubhouse and hearing my story. That was huuuuge!!! https://t.co/4vWZiTIisE — 10 (@SimplyAJ10) June 11, 2020 As the Red Sox noted in their statement, there’s still a lot of work to be done. However, the club clearly is committed to making Fenway Park a better place and, most importantly, doing whatever it can to combat racial inequality.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/06/adam-jones-applauds-red-sox-for-statement-after-torii-hunters-comments/
In 2009, MLB moved its draft into a primetime television slot, and aired the first round live from the MLB Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey. San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg was the big name going into the draft. He and other first-round hopefuls were invited to attend the event in person. The thought…
Hoornstra: MLB’s most visible draft feels like a missed opportunity — Press Telegram
On his way to being touted as one of the best pure hitters available in Major League Baseball’s 2020 draft, Austin Martin developed a reputation as a terrific contact hitter with a side order of power. Read More
In Austin Martin, Blue Jays get a potential first round MLB draft steal — Toronto Sun
PREVIEW: 2020 Major League Baseball Draft
There have been no regular season Major League Baseball games in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the annual MLB Draft will take place on June 10 and 11 in a scaled-down version that will see just five rounds take place instead of the usual 40.
The Detroit Tigers hold the first overall selection with the Toronto Blue Jays holding the fifth overall pick.
Baseball Canada will be provide live updates each time a Canadian-born player gets selected on our Twitter (@baseballcanada), Instagram (baseballcanada) and Facebook pages with a recap of the day’s action on baseball.ca.
WHAT: The annual Major League Baseball Draft (or Rule 4 Draft) gets underway on Wednesday (7pm ET MLB Network/MLB.com) with the first 37 selections (First Round, Competitive Balance Round A) and continues Thursday with the second through fifth rounds. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MLB has reduced the 2020 Draft to five rounds, down from the usual 40 rounds.
WHO: There are generally three groups of players that are eligible for the MLB Draft:
Countries eligible for the draft include Canada, Puerto Rico, the United States and US territories. Players from other countries are considered international free agents and must adhere to MLB’s international signing rules.
HOW TO FOLLOW: MLB Network/TSN 3/MLB.com will carry the first 37 selections live Wednesday from their studio in Secaucus, New Jersey beginning at 7pm ET…MLB Network/TSN 2/MLB.com will carry rounds two through five on Thursday beginning at 5PM ET…Live coverage of all five rounds along with a Draft Tracker will be available at MLB.com…Baseball Canada will be provide live updates each time a Canadian-born player gets selected on our Twitter (@baseballcanada), Instagram (baseballcanada) and Facebook pages with a recap of the day’s action on baseball.ca.
USEFUL LINKS:
CANADIAN MLB DRAFT FACTS:
NAMES TO WATCH:
Canadians on Baseball America’s Top 500 draft prospects list:
#67 OF David Calabrese (Maple, ON) Junior National Team
#140 SS Trei Cruz (Toronto, ON) Rice University*
#180 OF Owen Caissie (Burlington, ON) Junior National Team
#197 OF Jordan Nwogu (Ottawa, ON) University of Michigan*
#248 RHP Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, ON) Liberty University
#402 RHP Theo Millas (Burnaby, BC) Junior National Team
#413 OF Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) UC Santa Barbara
#414 OF Cooper Davis (Mississauga, ON) Vanderbilt University
#417 RHP Calvin Ziegler (Heidelberg, ON) Junior National Team
#454 RHP Jack Seward (Coquitlam, BC) Junior National Team
#466 RHP Carter Loewen (Abbotsford, BC) University of Hawaii
#478 RHP Logan Hofmann (Muenster, SK) Northwestern State
*Canadian born but resides outside of Canada
Canadians on MLBPipeline.com Top 200 draft prospects list:
#75 Owen Caissie
#97 David Calabrese
#108 Jordan Nwogu
#126 Trei Cruz
Canadian Baseball Network Top 5 Canadians:
#1 Owen Caissie
#2 Jordan Nwogu
#3 David Calabrese
#4 Noah Skirrow
#5 Calvin Ziegler
Keith Law’s (The Athletic) Top 100 Draft Prospects
#19 David Calabrese
#68 Jordan Nwogu
By RONALD BLUM NEW YORK — Baseball players moved toward teams but remained far apart economically in their latest proposal for starting the pandemic-delayed season, adamant they receive full prorated salaries while offering to cut the regular season to 89 games. The proposal by the players’ association, given to Major League Baseball electronically Tuesday evening…
MLB: Players make counteroffer to start delayed season, but owners expected to say no — Times-Standard
By RONALD BLUM
NEW YORK — Baseball players moved toward teams but remained far apart economically in their latest proposal for starting the pandemic-delayed season, adamant they receive full prorated salaries while offering to cut the regular season to 89 games.
The proposal by the players’ association, given to Major League Baseball electronically Tuesday evening without a negotiating session, was detailed to The Associated Press by a pair of people familiar with the negotiations. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcements were authorized.
MLB did not appear to view the proposal as productive but made no comment. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that one ownership source’s reaction to the proposal was, “We’re nowhere.”
Players made their move one day after management cut its proposed schedule from 82 games to 76. The union proposed the regular season start July 10 and end Oct. 11 — the day before a possible Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
The union accepted MLB’s plan to expand the postseason from 10 teams to as many as 16. However, if management announces a schedule without an agreement, it would not be able to alter the established postseason format.
The players’ plan would have the World Series end in mid-to-late November, and players said they would accept MLB’s proposal to have the ability to shift postseason games to neutral sites.
Teams say they fear a second wave of the coronavirus and do not want to extend the World Series past October. Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem told the union a 76-game schedule could not be staged unless players agreed to a deal by Wednesday.
Players continue to insist on full prorated salaries as specified in the March 26 agreement between the perpetually feuding sides. The deal gave players service time in the event no games are played this year along with a $170 million salary advance.
MLB says that because the season likely would be played in empty ballparks without fans, the absence of gate-related revenue would lead to a loss of $640,000 for each additional game played, a figure the union questions. MLB’s proposal would guarantee players 50% of prorated salaries and another 20% if the postseason is completed, and teams would fund a $50 million pool for players’ postseason shares even if no or few tickets or sold. MLB also would forgive 20% of the salary advance.
Players had been set to earn about $4 billion in salaries this year before opening day was pushed back from March 26 due to the new coronavirus, and the union’s initial economic proposal on May 31 called for a 114-game schedule running through October and salaries totaling $2.8 billion. The shorter schedule in the new plan lowered the amount to about $2.2 billion.
MLB’s offer Monday was for just under $1.3 billion in salaries, but only about $1 billion would be guaranteed. The rest is contingent on the postseason’s completion.
Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole, the highest-paid players with $36 million salaries, would get $19,777,778 each under the union’s plan. MLB’s offer would guarantee each $8,723,967 with the chance to increase to $12,190,633 apiece if the postseason is completed.
A player at the $563,500 minimum would earn $309,577 under the union plan and up to $244,492 from MLB’s offer. Those at $1 million — about half those on current active rosters — would get $549,383 under the union proposal and up to $389,496 in the MLB formula.
A 50-game schedule with prorated salaries would total just over $1.2 billion and leave Cole and Trout at $11,111,111 each.
Players proposed that $5 million from joint management-union funds be marked toward supporting non-union minor leaguers and social causes. Players would agree to participate in events such as an offseason All-Star Game and/or Home Run Derby and to broadcast enhancements such as wearing microphones during games.
The union did not accept management’s offer to suspend free-agent compensation this offseason, which would eliminate the qualifying offers that cause some teams to decline to pursue players.
Players accepted MLB’s proposal that high-risk players could opt out of this season while receiving salary and service time, but that other players who opt
out would not receive salary or service time.
The view from left field 