We are one step closer to baseball returning this year. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, MLB owners have approved a plan for the 2020 season and it’s heading to the MLB Players Association tomorrow.
The approved proposal reportedly features the following aspects, as previously reported by Rosenthal this weekend and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale:
- Training camps for players will return at some point in June.
- Opening Day will be scheduled for sometime between July 1st and July 4th, pending the approval of health officials.
- Teams will have the option of a second spring training at either their home facilities or spring training complexes in Arizona and Florida. The goal is to still play games at home ballparks without fans present, though this could change depending on the current health situation in various areas of play. If certain places are still deemed unsafe, teams could be given the choice to play at spring training facilities or share a ballpark with another team.
- The same leagues and divisions will remain, but teams will only play opponents in their division and the corresponding geographic division from the other league. So in the case of the White Sox, they would play teams from both the AL and NL Central.
- Postponement of the All-Star Game, which was previously scheduled for July 14th.
- About a half-season worth of games (roughly 78-82 games) depending on the approval by both players and health officials.
- Expanded postseason that will now include 14 teams – seven from each league, rather than the current 10 teams. This is the result of a reported extra-wild card round being added.
- Possibility of a universal DH given the number of interleague games that will now be taking place across the league.
- Expanding of active rosters from 26 players to 30, with the addition of a 20-man “taxi squad” that is made up of the organization’s top minor league players.
- A finish to the entire season no later than November 7th due to concerns of a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall.
- Teams will share at least 48% of their revenue with the Major League Players Association this season.
Alright, this is obviously a lot to unpack and there’s a possibility that some of this may either be inaccurate or subject to change. However, it seems to be the best glimpse of a blueprint for the resumption of games to date. What we will see now is whether or not the players agree to the terms listed, with the biggest obstacle coming in the last bullet point.
Owners are bracing for large financial losses due to factors like the regular season being cut in half and games being played without fans in attendance. This has led to new alternatives to save some money, and that focus shifts to further decreasing a team’s commitments to its players. With an agreement to prorate player salaries having already come in March, the move for owners to backtrack due to further anticipated losses could cause issues. The revenue sharing offer on the table is the first instance of this happening in MLB history, but is still less than the prorated salaries and has not been subject to players’ approval before.
Aside from that, the proposal is interesting for the White Sox for a couple of reasons. First, there has been a lot of uncertainty about how divisions would look and who teams would play in a shortened season, given the circumstances. The move to keep leagues in tact as they are and allow teams to play others within their division and the opposite league’s geographic division now means the main source of competition looks to be the following:
- Chicago Cubs
- Cincinnati Reds
- Cleveland Indians
- Detroit Tigers
- Kansas City Royals
- Minnesota Twins
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Pittsburgh Pirates
There’s also the addition of two teams to the postseason, which automatically boosts the Sox’ chances of a playoff berth. Don’t get me wrong, playing regularly against the NL Central teams will be tough since four of the five clubs have the chance to take their respective division. There’s also a ton of unknowns with this White Sox club, especially surrounding the performances of Nick Madrigal and Luis Robert in their first seasons. However, there should still be a lot of optimism about what this team can do if everything comes together, given the expanded playoff field and decreased number games.
We will see what happens in tomorrow’s apparent meeting between the league and players. It should tell us a lot about where this entire situation stands.
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