Game 1 is in the books. Behind the solid pitching of Clayton Kershaw and a trio of relievers, the Dodgers shutout the Giants, and the Dodger batters crushed Johnny Cueto 15-0. LAD fell short of their 8 home runs hit in last year’s opener, but they did manage 6, including a grand slam by Joc Pederson. Corey Seager, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger (2), and Will Smith all hit 4-baggers. Besides his HR, Corey Seager, led the offense by hitting for the cycle and a 5-5 day. A nice reward for the team that gave the 25 year old SS a 7 year extension just before the Freeway Series. Gavin Lux did not hit a HR, but did gather three hits in his first of many opening days at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw pitched a brilliant 6.0 innings allowing a pair of singles to Mike Yastremski, striking out 8 and allowing zero walks. In what looks like a preview of the back end of the stellar bullpen, Joe Kelly, Blake Treinen, and Kenley Jansen each pitched a perfect inning striking out two apiece.
Tonight, Walker Buehler goes to the mound against RHP Jeff Samardzija in Game 2 of the 2020 MLB season.
Unfortunately, I woke up from what was a respite from this Covid-19 pandemic nightmare. I do not know if there is going to be a 2020 season, but I am eternally hopeful. Even the loathsome Rob Manfred believes that MLB can begin to ramp up again sometime in May. I have no idea if that is feasible. The roster still remains intact with the uncertainty as to who the final bench piece and bullpen pieces will be. Will the roster expand to 28 at the outset? With the fear of ramping up pitchers, shutting them down, and ramping them up again, there are voices pushing for such an idea. The downside is that once the roster is expanded, the MLBPA will not want to recede, even if it was done for this most unfortunate and unforeseen purposes.
On March 19, the vernal equinox occurred, marking the start of Spring. It seems absolutely unnatural to have Spring without baseball. There is no MLB, MiLB, College, High School, Little League (and other youth baseball programs), adult recreational leagues, or just a bunch of kids on a play yard playing this great game. We never know how many more Springs we will be able to welcome in, but I am lost without baseball, and I hope we never have to relive this nightmare. I hope that MLB and MLBPA decide to take the fans into consideration and that common sense will prevail in the upcoming CBA negotiations. If the beginning of the 2022 season does not start on time, I am afraid that the luster on this national past-time will tarnish quickly, and that the fans will not come back as quickly as they did in the last work stoppage.
Will there be a 2020 Rule 4 Amateur Draft? Certainly not one with any real scouting knowledge. It is doubtful that a meaningful draft can occur in early June, but postponing the draft until August will destroy the rookie league and short season A League teams. The draft will undoubtedly be limited to something around 20 rounds, with multiple undrafted free agents signing with many organizations. I can envision a scenario where organizations will sign a bevy of AAAA players so that lower tiered prospects will not be challenged and pushed, but will be held back to fill these rosters for the summer season. The Dodgers have enough prospects to fill an Ogden roster, and still be able to stock two AZL teams. But how many other organizations can do the same?
Will the lack of a full 40 round draft in June pave the way for a heightened International Free Agent signing period? With savings expected from the Rule 4 Amateur Draft, will the IFL bonus cap be increased?
DC asked who in the 2019 draft are we most looking forward to. I have two that I am most excited about; relievers Jack Little and Braidyn Fink. It is no secret to most that I am a huge relief pitcher fan, and the 2019 draft was chalk full of potential relievers. Little and Fink (IMO) offer the quickest paths to LAD, but I will also be excited to see Aaron Ochsenbein continue to climb.
Chris Sale, Tyler Beede, and Noah Syndergaard all out due to TJ surgery. But their impacted loss will be lessened due to the minimized schedule for 2020. Nobody saw this pandemic coming, so neither the players nor organizations can be blamed for putting off what most to be inevitable. With a limited lifespan in MLB, players are not eager to accept 12-15 month recoveries if there is a chance for a less invasive procedure. Someday, some doctor is going to find that less invasive procedure and there will be another Tommy John.
There seems to be a lot of joy for Dodger haters that the Mookie Betts trade will go down as one of the worst in the history of MLB. First it has a long way to go to be considered as the LAD worst much less MLB worst. But I do not see the trade in that light. IMO you cannot judge a trade with hindsight. You need to look at the dynamics at the time of the trade. It was a great trade for LAD. It just may not have a desired results we were hoping for. But I am also not of the opinion that AF traded for Mookie Betts just for the year. I firmly believe that AF recognized what it will take to sign Betts to a long-term contract and is willing to do so. Whether Betts signs cannot be determined at this time, but while he has never signed a player to that level of a contract, AF has offered them. I believe he will push the envelope even more with Betts.
One last item for me. Knowing that this pandemic has proven how uncertain the future really is, is there an algorithm that will determine if it makes more sense to extend players that they have invested so much in, rather than trade or sign free agents to try to improve? Should the Dodgers look to extend Belli, Seager, Buehler, Urias, Lux, May, Gonsolin…where both sides compromise to try and solidify the future look?
For me, baseball is an antidote for what ails us. As stated in MLB TradeRumors, “Despite what’s sure to be a shortened season at best, Manfred’s confident that MLB, whenever it returns, will play a role in “the healing in this country.”
Editorial Update
MLB and MLBPA has agreed to a five round draft, potentially in July/August, with a possible delay of the IFL until January. Still too many questions.
Discussion (47)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Right off the top AC I’m thinking of Belli and Seager and working with them on ext’s.
Do we have a have a Mookie in the ranks? Nope, but I didn’t have Muncy a couple years ago.
I know I’m sounding a lil wacko, cheap or both but I really believe in the group we have and what’s waiting in the wings.
P.S. l thought the Trojans had a chance for a good run in March Madness.
Yes, I said Trojans. The only group I like about U.S.C.
The Wooden era got me rooting for Boyd and the boys. He was one of my favorites.
The man, the myth, the legend has chimed in!!!
At 28 y.o. you sure 10 yrs. will do for Mookie!!!
Do you want to really pay that much now with our great young kids not far from serious $$$ negotiations???
Tough, tough decisions… I say wait and spread the wealth…
If we ever play baseball again…
Am I the only one aboard who thinks AF WILL NOT sign Betts to a long term contract???
Don’t get me wrong, I was really excited to see Betts roaming the OF in Chavez and helping us get a ring… Betts and Boras I would bet the ranch are going after Trout money… $430 million+… Just typing it makes me gag…AF will stay in the game for awhile, but fold…
Speaking of Trout, in my 73rd. year of inhabiting this planet, I now have Trout over Mantle as the greatest player I have ever witnessed… Barring a catastrophic injury and his consistency I had go with Trout… He’s truly worth the admission even in Moreno’s joint, but not the salary…
Noah Syndergaard has TJ surgery in Florida. I don’t understand how this is not considered elective surgery. It’s not a life threatening injury that’s being corrected. I was planning on having back surgery this summer. I’m now pushing it to next year because medical supplies are needed for the fight and containment of the virus. I must be missing something.
I hope Bluto does not get mad at me, but there is an article on the MLB and MLBPA Agreement that should be shared. If Mark wants to delete, I understand. Per the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich :
Economic disputes in a $10.7 billion industry seem rather inconsequential in this time of pain and suffering, but MLB players and owners still had to figure out how they would proceed with the disrupted 2020 season. With the COVID-19 crisis all but eliminating any chance of a 162-game season, there could be no winners in this deal, only losers. In the interest of cutting losses, each side had to choose its priorities.
The owners fretted over cash flow. The players valued service time, and were guaranteed they would receive it, both in the event of a partial season in 2020 or if there is no season at all. The final terms of the agreement, as conveyed by sources, reflect the give-and-take that defines all labor settlements, and are expected to be approved by the owners in a conference call on Friday.
“Service time was the vital issue for us and feel like we got that covered fairly,” said Cardinals reliever Andrew Miller, a member of the MLB Players Association executive committee. “A generation of players will not be held back due to service time implications resulting from a partial season or in the unfortunate event of a canceled season.”
The players agreed to pro-rated salaries if the 2020 season is shortened and stand to lose all but a $170 million lump-sum advance if it is canceled. They also made compromises in the amateur draft, agreeing to changes for not only this year’s class but also next year’s – changes that are already drawing criticism in the industry. But the alternative, some on the players’ side point out, could have been no draft at all in ’20.
The two sides had little choice but to reach a deal. Without one, commissioner Rob Manfred would have needed to officially notify the union he was suspending all player contracts, a decision the league believed was necessary before the scheduled openers on Thursday. But the union was willing to delay more than once.
This agreement amounts to a good first step. But before play can resume, much more will need to be resolved:
• The deal ensures players will hold final approval on scheduling; the league cannot unilaterally determine how games are played, or when. Both sides say they desire to play as many games as possible. The agreement also allows for the regular season to extend into October, providing 31 more possible dates.
• The postseason might be expanded and played, at least in part, at neutral sites.
• Transactions will be frozen when the deal becomes official. The union and league must agree on the date they can resume.
• Roster sizes are likely to expand at least for the start of the season coming off an abbreviated spring training, the way they did after the players returned from their strike in 1995.
Other ideas will be in play as well, but by settling how pay and service time will work in a shortened or canceled season, the parties already might have overcome their biggest obstacles. They addressed the worst-case scenario of a canceled season only because of the need to account for every contingency.
The turning point for the players was when the league agreed to grant service time in the event of a canceled season, allowing players to continue toward free agency or arbitration unimpeded. The number of days a player received in 2019 would be the same number he would receive for 2020. The players also will earn a full year of service in a shortened ’20 season, regardless of how many games the schedule includes.
Service time, calculated by the number of days a player is on the roster or injured list, forms the basis of baseball’s pay structure, determining eligibility for salary arbitration and free agency. Some on the players’ side project one year of service to be worth $800 million in player salaries — certain second-year players earn more when they reach arbitration, certain third- and fourth-year players earn more as they advance through the process and certain fifth-year players earn more as they reach free agency. The ripple effects, according to one player representative, are “almost incalculable.”
Still, the players’ gains in service time came at a price. They yielded on their full salaries for 2020 — probably a wise decision, considering any of their financial demands would have come across as tone-deaf with the economy in peril. Their case also might have been weak, based upon language empowering the commissioner to withhold salary in a national emergency.
The players also yielded on the amateur draft, rationalizing it was better to ease the economic burden on owners for amateur talent both domestically and internationally than accede to the owners’ request to cancel the draft entirely. The owners also can delay the international signing period, scheduled to begin July 2, to as late as January 2021, according to ESPN.
The owners seemingly wanted to protect against the downside of an estimated $4.5 billion payout to players in salaries and benefits in a canceled season. In addition to relenting on service time, they agreed to grant the players an advance payment of $170 million, spread over two months — “an important part of the deal as well,” Miller said. The money is to be divided among four tiers of players: those with guaranteed contracts each will receive $150,000, and players with different types of split contracts between the majors and minors will receive $60,000, $30,000 and $15,000.
That money will not be repaid if the season is canceled, but the salaries the players will receive in a shortened season will be prorated based upon days on the roster or IL. The players also relinquished the right to sue the owners for their full salaries if the season is canceled.
In effect, both sides received a form of cost certainty; the players know some amount of money is coming to them, and the owners know they will not have to pay everything they would in a normal season.
The players’ concessions on the draft will be more difficult for some to accept, but should not be considered surprising. Potential high school and college draftees are not yet members of the union. Merely preserving the 2020 draft was something of a victory from the players’ perspective — the owners wanted to cancel the draft with the idea of reallocating their savings to other areas while operating with lower revenues.
The agreement, however, gives baseball the right to shorten the draft from 40 rounds to five. Bonuses also will be deferred, with picks receiving an initial payment of $100,000 and getting the rest in equal amounts in 2021 and ’22. Non-drafted players can receive no more than $20,000, as opposed to $125,000 previously, before counting against a team’s allotment.
Another notable limitation: The signing-bonus values associated with each pick will remain at 2019 levels for the next two years. The bonuses typically rise by about 3 percent, based upon increases in industry revenues.
Agent Scott Boras, who rose to prominence in part due to his successes in the draft, expressed strong disapproval with the capping of bonuses, blaming the owners even though the players agreed to the measure.
“It’s unconscionable the owners in this climate would reduce the collectively bargained money given to drafted players in the top rounds,” Boras said. “I don’t mind them reducing the rounds. That’s not the issue. It’s reducing the payments to those players. To cut their bonuses in this climate and use a pandemic situation in our country as a means to do that, I really find it unconscionable.
“The best players do not deserve to have their bonuses cut. That’s who you should invest in.”
The temporary rules will be in place at a time when baseball is seeking to reduce the number of minor-league affiliates and thus the overall number of minor-league players. High school players projected to go in the lower rounds might find it difficult to land with a college at this late date. College juniors who go undrafted might be forced to return for their senior years. Consider Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, an eighth-round pick of the Diamondbacks in 2009. His All-Star career might have turned out entirely different if he had gone undrafted as a junior.
At a time of extraordinary turmoil, no agreement was ever going to be perfect, not for players, not for owners, not for potential draft picks. But baseball had to start somewhere. Thursday night’s agreement positions the sport to figure out the rest.
MLBtraderumors is saying that the rosters when play resumes will temporarily be set at 29. Seems like a good idea.
Maybe with constant testing of teams the season will start with empty stadiums and subscription TV coverage of games. Pump in fan noise. Maybe make all games regional to start to limit flights or use charter flights to limit exposure.
Spice up the short season by signing Betts to long term contract and give Joc 3 year $30M contract through 2023.
I liked your first game of season 2020, AC, especially the players you named as contributing in it. Thanks. I am not knowledgeable enough in drafts so do not know if one in July/August is good or not. I am really missing my baseball games but have high hopes that there will be a 2020 season. Watched a movie the other night….Ford V Ferrari. Good one.
I treated my wife to the Great Escape followed by the Blob last night arguably one of the best and worst movies Steve McQueen was ever in.
Only on quarantine… Stuck in Mission Viejo with the Corona blues again…
I suppose it’s true that one should never argue politics, religion or Country music…
Nastiest pitcher I ever saw from behind the plate, I gotta give it to Big ‘D’ over Gibson…
J.R. Richard whose career was cut short was filthy…
NFL has decided to go ahead with it’s draft as planned. NBA has made no announcement. I miss baseball, that is for sure, but watching games from last year and 2018 brings some relief. Yeah, I know the outcome, and I do not have to watch the losses. But there were a lot more bright spots than downers last year up until the NLDS. A lot of teams have made roster moves, sending guys to AAA and such. And the Dodgers have not. It is ok you have not embraced country peterj. Not all of us are blessed with great music taste> LOL…. Watched a couple of old John Wayne movies last night, Operation Pacific, and The Wings of Eagles, which is based on the life of Frank ” Spig ” Wead, a flyer who was paralyzed and learned to walk again with canes, and became a screenwriter in Hollywood. He was hired by John Ford to write story’s about the Navy for him. Was very successful too. He was the screenwriter on They Were Expendable. Wead was recalled to duty, had to fight to get it actually, when WWII broke out. He saw action on the carriers Yorktown, and Essex, and finally was medically retired in 1944. He died in 1947 while in surgery. He is buried in Santa Monica. He was 52 years old.
Wow the stock market is something!! Delsey Bathroom Tissue hit the bottom and literally wiped out thousands!!!
Damn, I don’t know why I said that… I’ll blame it on my quarantine!!!
I was waiting for Cody Thomas, but Zack would have been AOK…
Toy Cannon R.I.P. I remember how they had to delay the first inning a lil bit so they could pick up the bubble gum folks threw out to him from the bleachers…
I never really cared how players got along with the press or had a happy face on and off the field, just so he played to win… Steve Carlton comes to mind…
As you see, I’m trying to catch up on the week’s great postings.
I waited anxiously for Campy and the Duke… No Campy made me cry…
As God is my witness, I tried to embrace Country music… To no avail…Well maybe Shinaya, Ronstadt and Faith, heck you know where I’m going…
P.S. Head to Mir Lago with Pence as your caddie and let the Doctors direct us.. Sorry M.T… Once again quarantine…
AC – just got up and couldn’t believe I could not check in on last night’s scores.
I pretty much knew who you would select in Little and Fink although I thought Allison was a possibility too. I didn’t select DeLuca as the one I am most excited to see begin the season but because of his inexplicable bonus of $300,000. What do they know that we don’t? A whole lot I expect.
The idea of a five-round draft doesn’t seem to make much sense, at least to me. Free agent signings will run rampant but perhaps with smaller bonuses. Ten or 15 could be done the same way I expect. Is this the first pitch in starting to eliminate minor league teams?
Yeah, but the defense committed 2 errors. If we don’t shore that up we’re in for a long season. Also, I wasn’t happy with Jansen’s velocity.