The 2020 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[Heltah Skeltah]

I just hope at this point there is a season. I hate to put it that way but it's not looking good for any of the 4 major sports.

Agree I don't think we see anything anytime soon.

[stevenash]

Agree I don't think we see anything anytime soon.

May 1 at the earliest is what I'm hearing.
I wouldn't surprise me if everything gets cancelled alltogehter.

At best I'm expecting a half of a baseball season, maybe 82 games at best,

[deadphish]

May 1 at the earliest is what I'm hearing.
I wouldn't surprise me if everything gets cancelled alltogehter.

At best I'm expecting a half of a baseball season, maybe 82 games at best,

162 games is way too many games anyway.

[stevenash]

162 games is way too many games anyway.

Yeah, the old time 154 game schedule was perfect.
And the league champs played in the World Series, no divisional because there were no divisions, and no wild card either.
Win and your in, finish second too bad you might as well finished last.

Of course there were 16 teams in 1948, 8 in each league.

[Chi_archie]

Yeah, the old time 154 game schedule was perfect.
And the league champs played in the World Series, no divisional because there were no divisions, and no wild card either.
Win and your in, finish second too bad you might as well finished last.

Of course there were 16 teams in 1948, 8 in each league.

154 seems like a good number

[stevenash]

154 seems like a good number

It is a good number if games resume May 1 but May 1 is a stretch.

[EmpireMaker]

Craig Kimbrel, RHP, Cubs:
Undoubtedly among the greatest relief pitchers in baseball history, Kimbrel’s numbers careened off a cliff in his first season as a Cub. In fairness, though, Kimbrel didn’t have a normal offseason before finally joining the Cubs on a three-year, $43MM contract. The 31-year-old flamethrower went without a deal until the first week June, and he never really got on track after debuting later that month. Kimbrel battled elbow issues and threw just 20 2/3 innings, over which he allowed 15 earned runs on 21 hits (including a whopping nine home runs) and 12 walks. Although Kimbrel did strike out 30 hitters and continue to throw upward of 96 mph, it wasn’t enough to overcome the other problems. Considering what the Cubs have invested in him, not to mention the losses their bullpen suffered in free agency, it’s a must for him to return to form this year.
Jeremy Jeffress, RHP, Cubs:
Jeffress was a lights-out part of the Brewers’ bullpen in 2018, but last season represented an enormous step backward. In fact, it went so badly for Jeffress that the Brewers – then vying for a playoff spot – released him during the first week of September. Jeffress wound up with a ghastly 5.02 ERA in 52 innings and saw his typical fastball go from 95.3 mph in 2018 to 93.8. He also lost 4 percent on his swinging-strike rate, almost 10 percent on his strikeout rate, and 8 percent on his groundball rate. Consequently, he was only able to secure an $850K guarantee in free agency.
Trevor Bauer, RHP, Reds:
Bauer went from one of the absolute best pitchers in the sport two years ago to someone whom the opposition shelled after the Reds acquired him from the Indians at last summer’s trade deadline. The 29-year-old kept throwing hard, averaging about 95 mph on his fastball, but yielded 57 hits (including 12 home runs) en route to a 6.39 ERA in 56 1/3 innings as a Red. Between the two teams, his combined 4.48 ERA and 4.34 FIP were each more than two runs worse than the production he logged in 2018. Bauer also experienced an almost 7 percent fall in groundball rate, and he wasn’t any kind of Statcast hero, ranking near the middle of the pack in multiple important categories.
Pedro Strop, RHP, Reds:
Strop, 34, had several terrific years with the Cubs, but last season wasn’t one of them. His average fastball dropped by 1.5 mph (93.6), his walk rate spiked to its highest level since 2012 (4.32 BB/9) and he gave up more home runs than ever (1.3 per nine). All of those factors helped lead to career-worst run prevention totals for Strop (4.97 ERA/4.53 FIP), which came at a less-than-ideal time for the pending free agent. Strop’s subpar output last year stopped him from cashing in on the open market, but if he can rebound, the Reds will have a bargain on their hands at $1.825MM.
Chris Archer, RHP, Pirates:
MLBTR’s Steve Adams just took a more in-depth dive into the surprising struggles Archer has gone through as a Pirate. The former Rays standout has been a shell of himself since Pittsburgh acquired him from Tampa Bay in a July 2018 trade that looks incredibly lopsided in the Pirates’ favor. But not all hope is lost for Archer, who – at the Pirates’ behest – grew too reliant on a sinking fastball that the opposition hammered. Archer bagged the pitch last summer and proceeded to post far better numbers during the second half of the season than he did before then, making the 5.19 ERA/5.02 FIP, 4.14 BB/9, 1.88 HR/9 and 36.3 percent groundball rate he put up over 119 2/3 innings look somewhat deceiving.
Derek Holland, LHP, Pirates:
Holland resurrected his career two years ago in San Francisco, only to fall apart between the Giants and Cubs last season. While Holland made 30 starts in 2018, he had such a rough time a year ago that he spent most of it in the bullpen, where he amassed 43 of 51 appearances. The 33-year-old limped to a 6.10 ERA/6.08 FIP with 8.75 K/9, 4.8 BB/9 and 2.13 HR/9, forcing him to settle for a minor league contract with Pittsburgh in the offseason.
Andrew Miller, LHP, Cardinals:
The first season as a Cardinal didn’t go well for Miller, whom they signed to a two-year, $25MM pact beforehand. The majority of his numbers, including a 4.45 ERA/5.19 FIP in 54 2/3 innings, went the wrong way. Miller, who barely walked more than one hitter per nine during his career-best season back in 2016, issued almost four and a half free passes last season. Moreover, he endured a 10.5 percent dip in groundball rate from 2018 and saw his home run-to-fly ball rate skyrocket to 21.6 percent. The 34-year-old has since dealt with some health troubles this spring, though the latest update on his status was encouraging.
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers:
Burnes had a promising debut from Milwaukee’s bullpen in 2018. However, the spin rate darling’s propensity for surrendering homers proved to be his undoing last season. Burnes, 25, gave them up on 38.6 percent of fly balls, leading to an awful 8.82 ERA/6.09 FIP in 49 innings and canceling out a strong strikeout rate of 12.86 per nine and a borderline elite swinging-strike percentage of 17.2.
Corey Knebel, RHP, Brewers:
Knebel’s on the list for injury reasons, not ones related to performance. He was a huge piece of the Brewers’ relief corps from 2017-18, but Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound a season ago. Knebel, who underwent the procedure just under 12 months ago, had been lining up for an early May return before the game shut down, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. So, the longer baseball’s hiatus last, the better Knebel’s odds are of returning to his past role as a Brewers contributor over a full season.

[ApricotSinner32]

Craig Kimbrel, RHP, Cubs:
Undoubtedly among the greatest relief pitchers in baseball history, Kimbrel’s numbers careened off a cliff in his first season as a Cub. In fairness, though, Kimbrel didn’t have a normal offseason before finally joining the Cubs on a three-year, $43MM contract. The 31-year-old flamethrower went without a deal until the first week June, and he never really got on track after debuting later that month. Kimbrel battled elbow issues and threw just 20 2/3 innings, over which he allowed 15 earned runs on 21 hits (including a whopping nine home runs) and 12 walks. Although Kimbrel did strike out 30 hitters and continue to throw upward of 96 mph, it wasn’t enough to overcome the other problems. Considering what the Cubs have invested in him, not to mention the losses their bullpen suffered in free agency, it’s a must for him to return to form this year.
Jeremy Jeffress, RHP, Cubs:
Jeffress was a lights-out part of the Brewers’ bullpen in 2018, but last season represented an enormous step backward. In fact, it went so badly for Jeffress that the Brewers – then vying for a playoff spot – released him during the first week of September. Jeffress wound up with a ghastly 5.02 ERA in 52 innings and saw his typical fastball go from 95.3 mph in 2018 to 93.8. He also lost 4 percent on his swinging-strike rate, almost 10 percent on his strikeout rate, and 8 percent on his groundball rate. Consequently, he was only able to secure an $850K guarantee in free agency.
Trevor Bauer, RHP, Reds:
Bauer went from one of the absolute best pitchers in the sport two years ago to someone whom the opposition shelled after the Reds acquired him from the Indians at last summer’s trade deadline. The 29-year-old kept throwing hard, averaging about 95 mph on his fastball, but yielded 57 hits (including 12 home runs) en route to a 6.39 ERA in 56 1/3 innings as a Red. Between the two teams, his combined 4.48 ERA and 4.34 FIP were each more than two runs worse than the production he logged in 2018. Bauer also experienced an almost 7 percent fall in groundball rate, and he wasn’t any kind of Statcast hero, ranking near the middle of the pack in multiple important categories.
Pedro Strop, RHP, Reds:
Strop, 34, had several terrific years with the Cubs, but last season wasn’t one of them. His average fastball dropped by 1.5 mph (93.6), his walk rate spiked to its highest level since 2012 (4.32 BB/9) and he gave up more home runs than ever (1.3 per nine). All of those factors helped lead to career-worst run prevention totals for Strop (4.97 ERA/4.53 FIP), which came at a less-than-ideal time for the pending free agent. Strop’s subpar output last year stopped him from cashing in on the open market, but if he can rebound, the Reds will have a bargain on their hands at $1.825MM.
Chris Archer, RHP, Pirates:
MLBTR’s Steve Adams just took a more in-depth dive into the surprising struggles Archer has gone through as a Pirate. The former Rays standout has been a shell of himself since Pittsburgh acquired him from Tampa Bay in a July 2018 trade that looks incredibly lopsided in the Pirates’ favor. But not all hope is lost for Archer, who – at the Pirates’ behest – grew too reliant on a sinking fastball that the opposition hammered. Archer bagged the pitch last summer and proceeded to post far better numbers during the second half of the season than he did before then, making the 5.19 ERA/5.02 FIP, 4.14 BB/9, 1.88 HR/9 and 36.3 percent groundball rate he put up over 119 2/3 innings look somewhat deceiving.
Derek Holland, LHP, Pirates:
Holland resurrected his career two years ago in San Francisco, only to fall apart between the Giants and Cubs last season. While Holland made 30 starts in 2018, he had such a rough time a year ago that he spent most of it in the bullpen, where he amassed 43 of 51 appearances. The 33-year-old limped to a 6.10 ERA/6.08 FIP with 8.75 K/9, 4.8 BB/9 and 2.13 HR/9, forcing him to settle for a minor league contract with Pittsburgh in the offseason.
Andrew Miller, LHP, Cardinals:
The first season as a Cardinal didn’t go well for Miller, whom they signed to a two-year, $25MM pact beforehand. The majority of his numbers, including a 4.45 ERA/5.19 FIP in 54 2/3 innings, went the wrong way. Miller, who barely walked more than one hitter per nine during his career-best season back in 2016, issued almost four and a half free passes last season. Moreover, he endured a 10.5 percent dip in groundball rate from 2018 and saw his home run-to-fly ball rate skyrocket to 21.6 percent. The 34-year-old has since dealt with some health troubles this spring, though the latest update on his status was encouraging.
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers:
Burnes had a promising debut from Milwaukee’s bullpen in 2018. However, the spin rate darling’s propensity for surrendering homers proved to be his undoing last season. Burnes, 25, gave them up on 38.6 percent of fly balls, leading to an awful 8.82 ERA/6.09 FIP in 49 innings and canceling out a strong strikeout rate of 12.86 per nine and a borderline elite swinging-strike percentage of 17.2.
Corey Knebel, RHP, Brewers:
Knebel’s on the list for injury reasons, not ones related to performance. He was a huge piece of the Brewers’ relief corps from 2017-18, but Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound a season ago. Knebel, who underwent the procedure just under 12 months ago, had been lining up for an early May return before the game shut down, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. So, the longer baseball’s hiatus last, the better Knebel’s odds are of returning to his past role as a Brewers contributor over a full season.

[u21c3f6]

EM, nice analysis. Now what is the chance we will get to use it? This thing might go on longer than first thought. Joe.

[batt33]

Craig Kimbrel, RHP, Cubs:
Undoubtedly among the greatest relief pitchers in baseball history, Kimbrel’s numbers careened off a cliff in his first season as a Cub. In fairness, though, Kimbrel didn’t have a normal offseason before finally joining the Cubs on a three-year, $43MM contract. The 31-year-old flamethrower went without a deal until the first week June, and he never really got on track after debuting later that month. Kimbrel battled elbow issues and threw just 20 2/3 innings, over which he allowed 15 earned runs on 21 hits (including a whopping nine home runs) and 12 walks. Although Kimbrel did strike out 30 hitters and continue to throw upward of 96 mph, it wasn’t enough to overcome the other problems. Considering what the Cubs have invested in him, not to mention the losses their bullpen suffered in free agency, it’s a must for him to return to form this year.
Jeremy Jeffress, RHP, Cubs:
Jeffress was a lights-out part of the Brewers’ bullpen in 2018, but last season represented an enormous step backward. In fact, it went so badly for Jeffress that the Brewers – then vying for a playoff spot – released him during the first week of September. Jeffress wound up with a ghastly 5.02 ERA in 52 innings and saw his typical fastball go from 95.3 mph in 2018 to 93.8. He also lost 4 percent on his swinging-strike rate, almost 10 percent on his strikeout rate, and 8 percent on his groundball rate. Consequently, he was only able to secure an $850K guarantee in free agency.
Trevor Bauer, RHP, Reds:
Bauer went from one of the absolute best pitchers in the sport two years ago to someone whom the opposition shelled after the Reds acquired him from the Indians at last summer’s trade deadline. The 29-year-old kept throwing hard, averaging about 95 mph on his fastball, but yielded 57 hits (including 12 home runs) en route to a 6.39 ERA in 56 1/3 innings as a Red. Between the two teams, his combined 4.48 ERA and 4.34 FIP were each more than two runs worse than the production he logged in 2018. Bauer also experienced an almost 7 percent fall in groundball rate, and he wasn’t any kind of Statcast hero, ranking near the middle of the pack in multiple important categories.
Pedro Strop, RHP, Reds:
Strop, 34, had several terrific years with the Cubs, but last season wasn’t one of them. His average fastball dropped by 1.5 mph (93.6), his walk rate spiked to its highest level since 2012 (4.32 BB/9) and he gave up more home runs than ever (1.3 per nine). All of those factors helped lead to career-worst run prevention totals for Strop (4.97 ERA/4.53 FIP), which came at a less-than-ideal time for the pending free agent. Strop’s subpar output last year stopped him from cashing in on the open market, but if he can rebound, the Reds will have a bargain on their hands at $1.825MM.
Chris Archer, RHP, Pirates:
MLBTR’s Steve Adams just took a more in-depth dive into the surprising struggles Archer has gone through as a Pirate. The former Rays standout has been a shell of himself since Pittsburgh acquired him from Tampa Bay in a July 2018 trade that looks incredibly lopsided in the Pirates’ favor. But not all hope is lost for Archer, who – at the Pirates’ behest – grew too reliant on a sinking fastball that the opposition hammered. Archer bagged the pitch last summer and proceeded to post far better numbers during the second half of the season than he did before then, making the 5.19 ERA/5.02 FIP, 4.14 BB/9, 1.88 HR/9 and 36.3 percent groundball rate he put up over 119 2/3 innings look somewhat deceiving.
Derek Holland, LHP, Pirates:
Holland resurrected his career two years ago in San Francisco, only to fall apart between the Giants and Cubs last season. While Holland made 30 starts in 2018, he had such a rough time a year ago that he spent most of it in the bullpen, where he amassed 43 of 51 appearances. The 33-year-old limped to a 6.10 ERA/6.08 FIP with 8.75 K/9, 4.8 BB/9 and 2.13 HR/9, forcing him to settle for a minor league contract with Pittsburgh in the offseason.
Andrew Miller, LHP, Cardinals:
The first season as a Cardinal didn’t go well for Miller, whom they signed to a two-year, $25MM pact beforehand. The majority of his numbers, including a 4.45 ERA/5.19 FIP in 54 2/3 innings, went the wrong way. Miller, who barely walked more than one hitter per nine during his career-best season back in 2016, issued almost four and a half free passes last season. Moreover, he endured a 10.5 percent dip in groundball rate from 2018 and saw his home run-to-fly ball rate skyrocket to 21.6 percent. The 34-year-old has since dealt with some health troubles this spring, though the latest update on his status was encouraging.
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers:
Burnes had a promising debut from Milwaukee’s bullpen in 2018. However, the spin rate darling’s propensity for surrendering homers proved to be his undoing last season. Burnes, 25, gave them up on 38.6 percent of fly balls, leading to an awful 8.82 ERA/6.09 FIP in 49 innings and canceling out a strong strikeout rate of 12.86 per nine and a borderline elite swinging-strike percentage of 17.2.
Corey Knebel, RHP, Brewers:
Knebel’s on the list for injury reasons, not ones related to performance. He was a huge piece of the Brewers’ relief corps from 2017-18, but Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound a season ago. Knebel, who underwent the procedure just under 12 months ago, had been lining up for an early May return before the game shut down, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. So, the longer baseball’s hiatus last, the better Knebel’s odds are of returning to his past role as a Brewers contributor over a full season.

Giants always had hopes for Holland...

[koz-man]

Sources: Yankees have second minor leaguer test positive for coronavirus


The New York Yankees have informed their minor league players that another minor leaguer in the organization has tested positive for the coronavirus, sources familiar with the message told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday.
The Yankees have now had two minor league players test positive for coronavirus. The previous player had spent time in only the minor league portion of the Yankees' spring training facility.

The Yankees were among the teams whose major league players had resolved to stay in camp amid the coronavirus outbreak. On Tuesday, however, manager Aaron Boone left the team's complex in Tampa and said he was driving home to Greenwich, Connecticut.

"Again, it's starting to hit home more every day, it seems like," Yankees pitcher J.A. Happ told ESPN's Marly Rivera on Tuesday. "So we're just preparing and trying to be smart if we can and paying attention to the news."

Major League Baseball in a memo Sunday said major league players would be allowed to stay in camps, "but we anticipate that may change in the coming days as events continue to unfold and players become better educated about current conditions."

On Monday, MLB announced it has pushed back Opening Day until mid-May at the earliest.
"We don't know how long this delay is going to be," Yankees reliever Zack Britton said Tuesday. "If you're talking about it's going to be the end of May or June or something like that, guys might take a few weeks and go home. There's a give and take a little bit.

"You don't want to just consistently be training at a really, really high level when we're not going to start action again until another two months or so. You want to be healthy. It's going to be tricky."

[deadphish]

Yeah, the old time 154 game schedule was perfect.
And the league champs played in the World Series, no divisional because there were no divisions, and no wild card either.
Win and your in, finish second too bad you might as well finished last.

Of course there were 16 teams in 1948, 8 in each league.

cant get rid of the wild card. if anything add a few more to qualify

[Cross]

June 1st baseball, I’m being optimistic.

[jrgum3]

Baseball does have some experience dealing with shortened seasons so that gives me some hope that there will be bases this season.

[EmpireMaker]

Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet may not be among Major League Baseball’s household names yet, but it could be only a matter of time before he joins those ranks. While Lamet hasn’t come close to preventing runs at an elite clip since he made his MLB debut in 2017, he has shown flashes that suggest a true breakout may not be out of the question.

Now 27 years old, Lamet caught on with the Padres out of the Dominican Republic in 2014. The franchise brought in Lamet, then 21, for $100K two years after a deal with the Phillies fell through. San Diego has since benefited from that fairly low-risk move.
After ascending through the minors, where he didn’t garner a significant amount of Triple-A experience, Lamet showed off a tantalizing fastball-slider mix during his first taste of MLB action three years ago. He wound up making 21 starts and tossing 114 1/3 innings of 4.57 ERA/4.35 FIP ball with 10.94 K/9 and 4.25 BB/9.
The hope, of course, was that Lamet would build on his respectable first-year effort the next season. Instead, though, he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow in April 2018. The procedure cost Lamet that entire year and the majority of his last season, but he enjoyed an extremely promising showing after returning July 4.
Lamet shook off the rust with 14 starts and 73 frames of 4.07 ERA/3.91 FIP pitching. Those run prevention totals may not look sensational, but a deeper dive gives reason to believe that Lamet will continue his rise. Not only did Lamet cut his walk rate (3.7 per nine), but his strikeout rate rose to a jaw-dropping 12.95. Among 146 starters who threw at least 70 innings, Lamet ranked behind only Gerrit Cole and Chris Sale in K/9. His strikeout percentage (33.6) trailed just Cole, Sale, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Mike Clevinger. The other members of the top 10? Blake Snell, Lucas Giolito, Jacob deGrom and Robbie Ray. With the exceptions of Lamet and Ray (a solid starter in his own right), there isn’t a single pitcher there who’s not a front-line option.
Adding to the good news, Lamet was something of a Statcast hero during his abbreviated 2019. Take a look at where he ranked in these categories…

• Hard-hit rate: 69th percentile
• Expected weighted on-base average: 71st percentile
• Average exit velocity: 77th percentile
• Curve spin: 79th percentile
• Fastball spin: 81st percentile
• Average fastball velocity: 89th percentile
• Strikeout percentage: 93rd percentile

Well above average across the board. Lamet got there owing in part to an increase in velo (his average fastball reached 96.1 mph) and a slider that, according to Fangraphs’ pitch values, was among the most dominant offerings of its kind. As Ben Clemens of FanGraphs explained last August, Lamet was benefiting at the time from adding a second slider to his repertoire.
Lamet’s repertoire may have him on the cusp of busting out, though he’ll have to get the home runs under control. Granted, last season was a homer-happy year across baseball, but Lamet’s HR-to-fly ball percentage (19.7) was still bloated compared to most starters’. And that’s not going to work for someone who has induced grounders at a paltry 36.8 percent rate since he first set foot in the majors.
Aside from a need to cut down on HRs moving forward, Lamet also must show he can continue to stay healthy. That’s obviously not always easy for any hurler, let alone one with such a serious surgery in his past. But if Lamet can hold up, the Padres may have a potential breakout starter on their hands. That would be all the more welcome for a team that already has Chris Paddack fronting its rotation with MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino among its prospects getting closer to the bigs.

[batt33]

Giants sign 16-year-old prospect compared to Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr.

Giants signed SS/RHH Javier Alexander Francisco (17Y, 6’2” 162, Dominican Republic) to an international free agent contract.

[koz-man]

MLB teams pledge $30M to help cover lost wages for ballpark employees

All 30 Major League Baseball teams on Tuesday pledged $30 million total to help cover the lost wages of ballpark employees who have been affected by the postponement of the big league season due to the coronavirus crisis.
"Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each Club has committed $1 million," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
"The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees. I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love."

[Chi_archie]

MLB teams pledge $30M to help cover lost wages for ballpark employees


All 30 Major League Baseball teams on Tuesday pledged $30 million total to help cover the lost wages of ballpark employees who have been affected by the postponement of the big league season due to the coronavirus crisis.
"Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each Club has committed $1 million," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
"The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees. I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love."

well that's a good start

[deadphish]

MLB teams pledge $30M to help cover lost wages for ballpark employees


All 30 Major League Baseball teams on Tuesday pledged $30 million total to help cover the lost wages of ballpark employees who have been affected by the postponement of the big league season due to the coronavirus crisis.
"Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each Club has committed $1 million," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
"The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees. I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love."

that covers like a month maybe?

[ApricotSinner32]

MLB teams pledge $30M to help cover lost wages for ballpark employees


All 30 Major League Baseball teams on Tuesday pledged $30 million total to help cover the lost wages of ballpark employees who have been affected by the postponement of the big league season due to the coronavirus crisis.
"Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each Club has committed $1 million," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
"The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees. I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love."

[stevenash]

Giants sign 16-year-old prospect compared to Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr.

Giants signed SS/RHH Javier Alexander Francisco (17Y, 6’2” 162, Dominican Republic) to an international free agent contract.

Those Dominicans play great baseball.

[EmpireMaker]

Red Sox ace Chris Sale has begun a throwing program at the team’s spring complex, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. It’s the first throwing action for the left-hander since he was diagnosed with a flexor strain earlier this month.
Sale’s health has been an ongoing point of discussion for upwards of 18 months in Boston. The southpaw spent two stints on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation late in the 2018 season, but the Sox were convinced of his health last spring when signing him to a five-year, $145MM contract extension. Concerns escalated when Sale experienced a dip in velocity early in the ’19 season and pitched to an alarming 6.30 ERA through the end of April.
However, Sale’s velocity trended back up, and over his next 15 starts, he looked like his vintage self: 93 2/3 innings of 3.27 ERA ball with a sensational 150-to-22 K/BB ratio. Three of his next four (and final four) starts of the season were clunkers, though, and Sale went on the shelf for the remainder of the season on Aug. 17.
Sale was cleared of ligament damage last August and underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection as well as a six-week period of rest and rehab. The lefty went through an offseason throwing program but was slowed by pneumonia early in camp before undergoing an MRI that revealed the flexor strain he’s currently battling. He’s been cleared of ligament damage, but Speier notes that surgery to repair the flexor issue remains a possibility if the throwing program doesn’t go well.
The Red Sox are paying Sale $30MM in 2020 — the first season of his front-loaded extension. The delayed start to the 2020 season could give him an opportunity to return to health prior to Opening Day (the date of which remains unclear) — an outcome that didn’t appear possible just weeks ago. That would be a substantial boost for the Red Sox, as their rotation behind the lefty is mired with question marks. Eduardo Rodriguez is presently projected to get the Opening Day nod. He’ll be followed by Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez and a yet-to-be-determined fourth and fifth starter. If Sale is healthy, the Sox would only need to fill one spot; Collin McHugh (who is also on the mend), Ryan Weber, Matt Hall, Kyle Hart and Mike Shawaryn are among the in-house options.

[stevenash]

Without Sale the Sox finish third.

[Chi_archie]

Red Sox ace Chris Sale has begun a throwing program at the team’s spring complex, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. It’s the first throwing action for the left-hander since he was diagnosed with a flexor strain earlier this month.
Sale’s health has been an ongoing point of discussion for upwards of 18 months in Boston. The southpaw spent two stints on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation late in the 2018 season, but the Sox were convinced of his health last spring when signing him to a five-year, $145MM contract extension. Concerns escalated when Sale experienced a dip in velocity early in the ’19 season and pitched to an alarming 6.30 ERA through the end of April.
However, Sale’s velocity trended back up, and over his next 15 starts, he looked like his vintage self: 93 2/3 innings of 3.27 ERA ball with a sensational 150-to-22 K/BB ratio. Three of his next four (and final four) starts of the season were clunkers, though, and Sale went on the shelf for the remainder of the season on Aug. 17.
Sale was cleared of ligament damage last August and underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection as well as a six-week period of rest and rehab. The lefty went through an offseason throwing program but was slowed by pneumonia early in camp before undergoing an MRI that revealed the flexor strain he’s currently battling. He’s been cleared of ligament damage, but Speier notes that surgery to repair the flexor issue remains a possibility if the throwing program doesn’t go well.
The Red Sox are paying Sale $30MM in 2020 — the first season of his front-loaded extension. The delayed start to the 2020 season could give him an opportunity to return to health prior to Opening Day (the date of which remains unclear) — an outcome that didn’t appear possible just weeks ago. That would be a substantial boost for the Red Sox, as their rotation behind the lefty is mired with question marks. Eduardo Rodriguez is presently projected to get the Opening Day nod. He’ll be followed by Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez and a yet-to-be-determined fourth and fifth starter. If Sale is healthy, the Sox would only need to fill one spot; Collin McHugh (who is also on the mend), Ryan Weber, Matt Hall, Kyle Hart and Mike Shawaryn are among the in-house options.

surprised sale didnt have more arm issues

[deadphish]

Without Sale the Sox finish third.

if they're lucky

[koz-man]

Baseball does have some experience dealing with shortened seasons so that gives me some hope that there will be bases this season.

Yep. Like 1981.
The Reds had the best overall record and did not content in the playoffs.

[Cross]

Shortened season would be awesome, let’s hope this doesn’t turn into Italy. I don’t think it will.

[ApricotSinner32]

Man when will the mlb return to normal?

[jrgum3]

Red Sox announced Chris Sale will have Tommy John surgery. Makes sense since the season will be delayed for a long time and he's having arm problems already. I guess his arm couldn't take the stress he put on it throwing all those innings...

[BigSpoon]

Red Sox announced Chris Sale will have Tommy John surgery. Makes sense since the season will be delayed for a long time and he's having arm problems already. I guess his arm couldn't take the stress he put on it throwing all those innings...

Sale hasn't looked right since the 2018 season.

[EmpireMaker]

Giants right-hander Tyler Beede will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters this evening. Beede was diagnosed with a UCL sprain and a flexor strain two weeks ago, and was scheduled for a second opinion last week.
The 26-year-old now faces a recovery timeline of 12-15 months, which will keep him from participating in whatever becomes of the 2020 season and cost him likely at least a couple of months of the 2021 season. The delayed start to the 2020 season wasn’t a chief factor in Beede’s decision to undergo surgery, Zaidi told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly and other media members, since Beede was told by doctors that he could face more elbow discomfort if he tried to rehab his injury without a proper procedure.
It’s a discouraging setback for Beede, a former 14th-overall pick (in 2014) who had yet to deliver on that potential over 124 2/3 innings, but was a strong contender to win a spot in San Francisco’s Opening Day rotation after throwing three scoreless innings during Spring Training action. It’s hard to figure how the rotation picture might look if and when the season gets underway, but as it stood when Spring Training was halted, Dereck Rodriguez, Trevor Oaks, Trevor Cahill, and Logan Webb were the top contenders for that fifth starter’s job.
The majority of Beede’s big league exposure came last season, when he posted a 5.08 ERA, 2.46 K/BB rate, and 8.7 K/9 over 117 innings. Like many pitchers in 2019, Beede struggled to limit home runs, allowing a 1.69 HR/9, but his larger issue was with hard contact in general. As per Statcast, Beede allowed hard-hit contract on 43.7% of his balls put into play, with an average 90.8mph exit velocity — both numbers landed in the bottom-fourth percentile of all pitchers.

[ApricotSinner32]

Man this is really not good right now

[koz-man]

Rockies' Bud Black open to doubleheaders when MLB returns


Let's play two? Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black would be down for doubleheaders.

Maybe even a couple a week.
That might be a necessity to make up games once a baseball season delayed by the new coronavirus gets under way.

"In theory, yeah, I think all of us would be up for some sort of doubleheader situation," Black said during a conference call Thursday. "The thing that's going to be in front of all of us is it's going to be the same for everybody. It's got to make sense for the clubs and the players."
Opening Day has been pushed back from March 26 to mid-May at the earliest, and both sides are committed to playing as many games as possible.

Translation: Doubleheaders could be on the docket.

"I know that when we're able to safely play, we're going to have to think of creative ways to get in as many games as possible given all the time that's going to be lost," said Farhan Zaidi, the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants. "I don't really have any specific thoughts on that, but I know everybody's going to be thinking through ways to do that."
More than anything, Black wants his players to treat this time away like it's December and the season is still in the distance.

Don't ramp up.

Black said when a timetable is known, the teams will be given approximately three weeks to get back in shape as part of a second spring training. That's plenty of time for a starting pitcher to work his way into form.
"There's no need to throw bullpens. We're a ways away from that," Black said.

Hit in a cage -- if one's available. Work out at their gym at home. Or play catch -- with social distancing in mind.
"They get together and go to a local park, they go to a high school, they go somewhere where there's a stretch of grass and they play catch," Black said. "They're not going to play closer than six feet together, right? You can play catch.

"Guys are on the down low. They're probably not doing much baseball activity right now. There's a sense this is going to be much longer than first anticipated by baseball."
Opening Day would have been next week. That's hard for Black to fathom in light of what's happening around the world.
"I miss the build-up to opening day. I miss what that's all about. I love our sport. I love the people in it," Black said. "I'm probably as practical as they come and a realist, and aware of what's going on and that takes a precedence over our sport and our jobs."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

[Chi_archie]

Rockies' Bud Black open to doubleheaders when MLB returns


Let's play two? Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black would be down for doubleheaders.

Maybe even a couple a week.
That might be a necessity to make up games once a baseball season delayed by the new coronavirus gets under way.

"In theory, yeah, I think all of us would be up for some sort of doubleheader situation," Black said during a conference call Thursday. "The thing that's going to be in front of all of us is it's going to be the same for everybody. It's got to make sense for the clubs and the players."
Opening Day has been pushed back from March 26 to mid-May at the earliest, and both sides are committed to playing as many games as possible.

Translation: Doubleheaders could be on the docket.

"I know that when we're able to safely play, we're going to have to think of creative ways to get in as many games as possible given all the time that's going to be lost," said Farhan Zaidi, the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants. "I don't really have any specific thoughts on that, but I know everybody's going to be thinking through ways to do that."
More than anything, Black wants his players to treat this time away like it's December and the season is still in the distance.

Don't ramp up.

Black said when a timetable is known, the teams will be given approximately three weeks to get back in shape as part of a second spring training. That's plenty of time for a starting pitcher to work his way into form.
"There's no need to throw bullpens. We're a ways away from that," Black said.

Hit in a cage -- if one's available. Work out at their gym at home. Or play catch -- with social distancing in mind.
"They get together and go to a local park, they go to a high school, they go somewhere where there's a stretch of grass and they play catch," Black said. "They're not going to play closer than six feet together, right? You can play catch.

"Guys are on the down low. They're probably not doing much baseball activity right now. There's a sense this is going to be much longer than first anticipated by baseball."
Opening Day would have been next week. That's hard for Black to fathom in light of what's happening around the world.
"I miss the build-up to opening day. I miss what that's all about. I love our sport. I love the people in it," Black said. "I'm probably as practical as they come and a realist, and aware of what's going on and that takes a precedence over our sport and our jobs."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

interesting

[stevenash]

Double headers are a good idea, give the fans a bone though no day/night shit but back to back games.