(When) Will the Season Start?

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
My friend who often gets second hand early MLB scoops says “Season starts 7/1, tons of double headers, only arguments remaining are around service, 100+ games played and so forth, destinations still unknown.”
 

The Gray Eagle

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2001
16,722
Can you ask them what the plan is for the games when a player (or several from the same team) tests positive? Is it just treated like an injury, in that the player is taken off the roster and the games just go on as planned?
 

VORP Speed

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
6,633
Ground Zero
My friend who often gets second hand early MLB scoops says “Season starts 7/1, tons of double headers, only arguments remaining are around service, 100+ games played and so forth, destinations still unknown.”
If the season becomes about the best 40 players instead of the best 25, there may be a new favorite in the AL East.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
If the season becomes about the best 40 players instead of the best 25, there may be a new favorite in the AL East.
They may change the divisions also, but NY has plenty of depth too.

I’m not thinking about baseball much these days until there’s an actual plan in place for return, but if you want to do a thread comparing who would be helped more by a 40 man active roster, TB or NY, we could do that. Maybe even go 50 deep?
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
How do the extra kids on the roster get reps in if there’s no AA or AAA? Seems like the backup players who would otherwise be in the minors would rust quickly unless they figure out daily side scrimmages or something.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
Dunno the answers, but also they may have to kill the idea of the 40 man roster for a season because teams will likely need to use more players than that. Maybe a 30 man active roster that can be changed daily and anyone in the organization is eligible? Dunno, glad I'm not the one making the road map for this.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,840
How do the extra kids on the roster get reps in if there’s no AA or AAA? Seems like the backup players who would otherwise be in the minors would rust quickly unless they figure out daily side scrimmages or something.
If there are tons of doubleheaders, they'll get plenty of work. Not as much as a typical AA/AAA obviously, but some.


Dunno, glad I'm not the one making the road map for this.
I don't know, sounds fun as hell. Like designing a real-life fantasy league, with rosters, divisions, and schedule.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
Except with real-life ramifications for thousands of players that will possibly reverberate their whole careers, no thank you.
 

VORP Speed

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
6,633
Ground Zero
They may change the divisions also, but NY has plenty of depth too.

I’m not thinking about baseball much these days until there’s an actual plan in place for return, but if you want to do a thread comparing who would be helped more by a 40 man active roster, TB or NY, we could do that. Maybe even go 50 deep?
I’m in the same boat as you in terms of the amount of mental energy going to baseball these days, but will be an interesting topic once we have the parameters of roster size/flexibility, how many doubleheaders, etc. I’ll start the thread when a plan is finalized.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
I’m in the same boat as you in terms of the amount of mental energy going to baseball these days, but will be an interesting topic once we have the parameters of roster size/flexibility, how many doubleheaders, etc. I’ll start the thread when a plan is finalized.
Actually after I posted, I saw that Mike Axisa did a projected 50 man roster in his Patreon newsletter a few weeks ago. The even trickier thing is that teams like NY and TB carry players on the 40 man who they need to protect but who are at least a few years away, so what happens with them? Does this speed up Wander's timetable? Dude needs his $300M ASAP.
 

Sad Sam Jones

Member
SoSH Member
May 5, 2017
2,494
I can't imagine it being fun as hell when no matter what plan they come up with most baseball fans across the country will say Manfred and MLB are incompetent (and the players union may very well object) and complain they've ruined the sanctity of the game. I don't think many of us have received national blowback for setting up a fantasy league schedule.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
20,676
Maine

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
If I was as wrong as often as Keith Law is, I would make less definitive statements. Not saying he is wrong on this one yet, we'll see.

"Major League Baseball expects to offer a return-to-play proposal to the MLB Players Association within a week, as teams have begun to encourage players to prepare for a "spring" training that could begin in mid-June and a season that could start in early July, sources familiar with the discussions told ESPN."

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29144297/mlb-return-play-proposal-expected-week-sources-say
 

amfox1

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 6, 2003
6,808
The back of your computer
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that MLB will discuss its plans for the 2020 season in a conference call with owners Monday. If approved, the league will present the plan to the players' union Tuesday.

The details of the plan, which are subject to change, are as follows:

- The season would begin in early July and have approximately 80 games.

- Teams would face opponents only from their own division and the same geographic division in the opposite league. The Red Sox would only face the AL East and the NL East.

- Teams would open in as many home ballparks as possible. Alternatives would be spring training parks or nearby MLB stadiums.

- Expanded playoffs. Seven teams from each of the three leagues would qualify for the postseason. Teams with the best record in each division would receive a bye.

***

So, Trevor Plouffe was right.
 

JCizzle

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2006
20,530
I'd still like to know what the plan is for dealing with a player who tests positive. I imagine Korea and other places have already worked through those issues, so there's a precedent at least.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
I'd still like to know what the plan is for dealing with a player who tests positive. I imagine Korea and other places have already worked through those issues, so there's a precedent at least.
Everything is still somewhat in flux still but what I've seen is that they plan to constantly test and if someone tests positive, they of course get treated/quarantined but since everyone around them is being tested constantly, there hopefully wouldn't be a ripple effect.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
Hopefully, there will be enough tests for everyone by the time the season starts, because otherwise setting aside 100,000+ (30 teams x 50 ppl for team (guess) x 80 games) looks not great.
 

grimshaw

Member
SoSH Member
May 16, 2007
4,220
Portland
So guessing something like 3 home/3 away vs the NL East (30) and 6 or 7 home and 6 or 7 away vs the AL East (48-50).

Hopefully they trounce the O's, Jays and Marlins because those are two very rough divisions.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
Yeah, those divisions would suck if that really happens, at least Syndergaard is out for the year.
 

axx

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
8,126
Looks like I was right when I thought that the owners won't play without the gate. This isn't football, the gate is a big deal. They are just trying to blame the Union when it gets cancelled.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
My friend works in marketing and was contacted by one of the networks that broadcasts MLB to put together a plan assuming the season starts July 4.
 

Hank Scorpio

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 1, 2013
6,915
Salem, NH
Eh. I’m fine with letting fights go, so long as they’re actual brawls and not 60-man huddles that drift slowly around the infield.

Give me Rheal Cormier manhandling Jim Thome any day of the week. Same for Joe Kelly slugging Yankees, Robin Ventura getting pummeled, and that late-90s O’s-Yankees brawl.

Heavily fine the crybaby stuff, or the downright asshole moves, like when Albert Belle clocked Fernando Vina. Sometimes though, a good brawl is cathartic. Especially if someone like Brett Gardner or Luke Voit is on the receiving end of it.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

Homeland Security
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2005
19,615
Portsmouth, NH

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
True for Ellsbury also, unless NY gets out of paying him altogether because of their grievance.

Highest paid player for 2020? Yes, Prince Fielder, who last played a game in 2016.
 
Jul 5, 2018
430
Eh. I’m fine with letting fights go, so long as they’re actual brawls and not 60-man huddles that drift slowly around the infield.

Give me Rheal Cormier manhandling Jim Thome any day of the week. Same for Joe Kelly slugging Yankees, Robin Ventura getting pummeled, and that late-90s O’s-Yankees brawl.

Heavily fine the crybaby stuff, or the downright asshole moves, like when Albert Belle clocked Fernando Vina. Sometimes though, a good brawl is cathartic. Especially if someone like Brett Gardner or Luke Voit is on the receiving end of it.
It would be cool if the rosters were expanded to 26 players so a guy that can't really pitch, hit or field, but that is good with his fists, could join the team. The umps could let them go at it for a few minutes, break it up and send them to penalty boxes installed at the end of each dugout.