glory

Agreed. Also, if Manfred implements a 60 game season fully prorated, then the only thing the players gained by rejecting the last offer was the ability to file a grievance. What are the odds that they can even win that? How do you prove Manfred acted in bad faith when states were locked down for months and ST facilities in mid June had to be quarantined due to positive tests? If he mandated a 48 game season, then maybe, but he is apparently about to give them the same amount of games as he offered them in the last proposal, only there won't be expanded playoffs, which would have helped the sport recover revenue and get more markets in the playoff race. If I cared about who looks better between these two unlikable factions, I'd actually score a point for Manfred here. The players look a lot worse than they did before. It's clear neither side cares about the general growth of the sport, but at least MLB will do things based on the financial growth of the game. Not sure the players can spin this positively. Whatever. Implement a season, make sure the players can stay safe, and lets get this circus on the road.

Hopefully all the people who were white knighting for the players will enjoy this. Expanded playoffs would have helped the sport. Universal DH would have helped the sport. The MLBPA said "when and where" because they weren't being offered their prorated salaries, but then when MLB gave them prorated salaries for 60 games, they said "sorry we meant 'when and where' on our terms". This is why I'm in the middle on this. There is no sympathetic side here. Both sides are crap. When owners don't spend money this winter, and free agents are getting squeezed because owners were not allowed to recover some of the lost revenue in 2020, then Tony's going to have to explain to the union how he screwed them again.

$20k is nothing. Anyone half way decent is better off going back to school, or if possible go the Carter Stewart route and sign with a team in Japan/Korea/etc where they might actually make a livable wage for a few years. I think the 20k signings will mostly be underwhelming.

I actually think the positive tests and having to quarantine out of Florida is going to help MLB's case here. The chances of MLBPA winning a grievance case after rejecting the latest proposal and the virus forcing the league to have a shorter time frame to get the games in will be damn difficult. I think Manfred ends up proposing a season (between 50-56 games) and then from there it is up to the virus as to whether they start/finish the season.

Players in every sport are going to test positive. They either have to figure out a way to work around it without shutting the season down or don't start it back up at all.

Stro Show.

My guess is they will settle at 66 games like Rosenthal suggested, which would be 40% of the season and players getting full prorated salaries.

Yeah, looking at the standings you posted, the 14 team playoff format would have included Boston (84 wins) and Arizona (85 wins). Those are average or slightly above average teams making it, but I could live with that. I believe the format I mentioned above, which Trevor Bauer took a giant s*** on, would have made the playoffs in 2019 look like this: AL 1. Astros (107-55) - bye ---- 2. Yankees (103-59) 3. Twins (101-61) 4. Athletics (97-65) WC 5. Rays (96-66) WC 6. Cleveland (93-69) 7. Red Sox (84-78) Yankees and Twins get to choose their opponent in the Wild Card games, let's say Yanks pick Boston and Twins pick Cleveland, so the A's would play the Rays. All of those series would be 3 games, and winners advance to the DS with Houston already in. Same applies in the NL. Or they can scrap the "higher seed picks opponent" gimmick and just have 2-7, 3-6, and 4-5 match ups, which is how most teams would probably choose anyway. Then again, if the season is only going to be 60-66 games long, then going with 16 teams just for this season wouldn't be terrible. There will no doubt be a good team who starts off slowly and ends up being average or worse after the season is over, so more than half the teams making it just for 2020 might be more reasonable.

I thought expanded playoffs would be 14 teams? I think 16 playoff teams in a 30 team league is too much. If they add 2 expansion teams, then 16 is more tolerable, but I think expanded in the current format should be 14. The rumor from a few months ago was 7 teams in each league, the top seed in each league getting a bye, the 6 remaining teams in each league playing 3 game wild cards to determine the DS, and the higher seeded teams choosing their opponents. That seems convoluted in some ways, but better than 16 out of 30 making it.

Yeah, the way I see it is baseball has to adapt and the purists have to get over it. I say that as someone who has been watching for a long time and likes the game the way it is. Baseball has to evolve and at least try to cater to a younger generation of fans. More playoff rounds means more money for the sport, more money for the players, more meaningful games for a larger percentage of fanbases, and maybe some renewed interest from casuals who are getting more playoff/do or die content on national TV. Will it suck to see a .500 or sub .500 team make the playoffs? Of course. But we'll hate every rule change at first before either growing to like it or simply accepting it. People hated the Wild Card, and it worked. They hated the 2nd Wild Card, and it worked. When expanded playoffs happen and the top seeded teams get to choose their opponents, we'll all hate that too, until it becomes the norm and we either realize it's a fun idea or just accept it for what it is.

Owners badly want the expanded playoffs as they can make a lot of their money back with that, and it gives them leverage for TV networks like ESPN to reup their next deal at a better rate (more playoff content = more value/money). If both sides are serious about getting a deal done, then I think Rosenthal's suggestion of 40% is probably reasonable considering the amount days they have to play the season. They do not want to extend the regular season into Oct, and want to finish before November.

Heyman is reliable, but so far he’s the only one saying a deal is close.

The saga continues.

If being outdoors mitigates the virus a bit, and baseball players are practically distancing all game aside from being in the dugout, then I don't think it will be too difficult. There will be positive cases, but test everyday and quarantine anyone who tests positive, plus have players ready (taxi squad) when that happens, and I think they can pull it off. If one or two players testing positive is enough to stop the whole league, then close up shop for 2020.

$5K? That's too much.

Wonderful.

Yeah, I'm going to look past the optics nightmare that this whole thing has become, and just look at the positive. We'll have baseball back in some form, and a shortened season 1) is better than nothing, 2) should make each game mean more, and 3) will actually give the Jays a chance at a playoff spot if they have a hot start (that applies to every average team). Either way, MLB and the MLBPA has beaten me down as a fan. Just start the season at whatever length and I'll take it. If I get to see a rotation with Ryu and Pearson in it right from the jump, plus all the young talent on the hitting side, I'll be happy.

Just announce the 50-52 game season so the Jays can prepare for their impending World Series title.

Expanded playoffs is going to make baseball a lot more money once that becomes an official thing.

Seems fitting that he was reading off a script to express his excitement while doing so in the most monotonous tone possible.

Yeah as much as I think that short of a season is BS, if it means Pearson is in the rotation all “season” and all it takes is a hot start to make it, then I’ll take it. Having Austin Martin gifted to us followed by a playoff berth would be damn sweet, even if it’s with no fans in Dunedin.

Yeah, I think Manfred knows the season will be 48-50 games long. All of this is just window dressing. Neither side is going to budge. Just a matter of when Manfred wants to implement the shortened season.