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Snell doesn't want to take a pay cut.Comment -
Both sides are greedy bastards.
At least lot of owners are paying their grounds crews, their concession people, players making a gazillion dollars for playing a kids game won't get my sympathy in this case.
Oh too bad, Joe Mediocre the fourth rotation guy of a mediocre team can't live on half pay of 4 million dollars contract for playing a half a season? Boo fukking hoo.Comment -
he Diamondbacks weren’t a bad offensive club in 2019, but they were a middle-of-the-pack unit in the National League in terms of total runs (sixth overall with 813), home runs (ninth, 220) and wRC+ (seventh, 94). Like most contending clubs with a good bit of depth, those numbers should tick up if the league implements a universal DH in 2020, as seems increasingly likely. For the Diamondbacks, the most established beneficiary on the roster is lefty swinging Jake Lamb. Shoulder injuries have torched the 29-year-old’s past two seasons, and the former everyday third baseman has since lost that spot to Eduardo Escobar as a result. With a DH added to the mix, Lamb could rotate between designated hitter and both infield corners, providing occasional breathers for Escobar and 2019 breakout performer Christian Walker — at least against right-handed pitching. Lamb has struggled mightily in his career against southpaws, though, so he’d likely need to be platooned.
Enter Kevin Cron.
The righty swinging younger brother of slugger C.J. Cron has never been considered among the D-backs’ top prospects, in part because of a lack of defensive value and the type of plodding speed you’d expect from a 6’5″, 250-pound first baseman. But Cron has consistently hammered minor league pitching, and never more so than in 2019, when he belted a minor-league-leading 39 home runs in just 84 games. (Yes — the Triple-A ball was also juiced.)
Cron logged a ridiculous .331/.449/.777 slash with a career-high 16.2 percent walk rate and a 20.4 percent strikeout rate with Triple-A Reno. He only received 78 plate appearances in the Majors, due in no small part to the breakout of Walker, who is also a stellar defender at first base. That said, Cron tacked on another six round-trippers in the big leagues, bringing his season total to 45 in just 460 plate appearances.
Lamb might get the first look at DH — he’s playing on a $5.525MM contract after all — but Cron should be in line for at least a platoon gig early in the season. Further injuries to Lamb or some struggles at the plate could open the door for a wider look. It’s not a given that Cron’s minor league dominance would carry over to the big leagues — he’s not even ranked in their top 30 prospects at Baseball America and sits just 26th at MLB.com — but when you homer in nearly 10 percent of your 400-plus plate appearances, it’s probably time for a legitimate chance.
Beyond Cron and Lamb, the D-backs have prospect Seth Beer working his way toward the Majors. He came over from Houston in the Zack Greinke swap and is a bat-first corner option himself, although he’s yet to appear in Triple-A. Versatile Swiss army knives like Josh Rojas and Andy Young can be plugged in all over the diamond, giving the Snakes increased opportunities to spell Ketel Marte, David Peralta, Kole Calhoun, etc. with a day at designated hitter as well.
The D-backs have the depth to take a mix-and-match approach to the DH spot, plus one veteran option looking for a bounceback … but the most interesting thread to follow will be whether 2019’s minor league home run king can capitalize on an opportunity he didn’t expect to have when Spring Training originally commenced.Comment -
I can’t imagine being on the owner’s side. What a joke. If you take a job somewhere, do you want to get paid what you are worth or are you ok with ownership getting a deal on your services? Baseball owners are billionaires many times over and are raking money in year after year even on small market teams.Comment -
Its hard to fathom what these players make but I understand their gripe with the proposal. They essentially are the ones that make the owners their money so it should stand to reason that the players get paid what they're worth. Its tough to feel sorry for either side though as someone who doesn't make that much money and would just be happy to have a job. I just hope that money ultimately doesn't rob us of live baseball because we need baseball back in our lives even if its in front of empty stands.Last edited by jrgum3; 05-15-20, 07:23 AM.Comment -
I say no fake crowd noise or fans. Blast musicComment -
On this day May 15, in 1996, exactly 24 years ago today, Boston Red Sox (and former Dodger) outfielder was born.
Happy 24th birthday Alex, let's hope you play up to Mookie's potential.
He does have the talent.Comment -
they are very talented at throwing, catching, and hitting balls.
that is a skill set that will bring you very little money unless you have all the infrastructure- Ball parks, franchises, TV deals, merchandising deals to display it, that the league and owners brought togetherComment -
Surprised the majority of guys siding with the owners here. Players shouldn't be risking their health for less than full pay, just my opinion.Comment -
It's more of a risk to play.Comment -
Most agree that staging a 2020 MLB campaign is a worthwhile goal, so long as it can truly be done safely and responsibly. Dividing the spoils of a baseball season? That isn’t a reasonable priority given the present state of the world. But it does need to be done. No matter one’s view on the right approach to a tough issue, it’s tough to understand the reflexive vitriol launched at the players, many of whom don’t even earn monumental sums. Just like the owners, they’re merely engaged in a necessary economic negotiation — the latest round of which was spurred by the league’s decision to propose a further salary reduction and introduce it through the media.
- Rayslefty Blake Snell sparked the latest round of controversy in the MLB-MLBPA salary battle when he offered some pointed comments during a Twitch stream. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times covered the story. Snell directly connected the matter of health to that of pay, saying he’s not willing to accept a further reduction of salary given that “the risk is through the roof.” Snell, who cited the possible long-term risks from the disease and worries about spreading it to family members, tells Topkin that he’s genuinely unsure whether to play even if the economics are sorted to his liking. While it wasn’t the smoothest delivery of his message, Snell seems genuinely conflicted and concerned with matters of real importance. The star lefty says he is still preparing for the 2020 campaign, but indicated he has begun to shift mentally to a 2021 return.
- Snell found some support from one of the game’s biggest stars, Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper. As Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports, Harper said in his own Twitch session that the hurler is “speaking the truth.” Now, that’s something far shy even of Snell’s warnings that he may or may not play. There’s no indication at the moment that Harper is considering a similar course. But it is a notable bit of star player unity on the matter of compensation.
- Rockies star Nolan Arenado also saw merit in Snell’s comments. He tells Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link) that Snell was “just being real” but also expressed understanding that it rubbed some the wrong way. Arenado says the players “understand we’re not going to get paid everything we thought we were getting this year” and are okay with that. He also took a more measured view of the health situation, while noting it is a legitimate concern. Ultimately, Arenado believes the sides had a deal and should honor it and move forward: “It is a risk. We did negotiate a deal. I think that’s the thing: We negotiated a deal. Now let’s go play. Let’s get to work. That’s where we as players are coming from.”
- Cubsowner Tom Ricketts claimed yesterday that fully 70 percent of his team’s revenue comes from gameday operations. As Rob Arthur notes on Twitter, that sounds like a figure that may reflect a selective snippet of the real balance sheet of the multi-faceted Cubs-related empire. This goes to the main problem behind the league’s reported 50/50 revenue-sharing plan: it’s impossible even to assess unless the full picture is available. While teams may not believe players are entitled to a share of regional sports network revenue, surrounding real estate, and other such broader initiatives, the organizations do stand to profit from those adjacent activities. And given the league’s claim of potential losses in a spectator-free season — which is a relevant aspect of the recent contract agreed upon between the sides — it seems only fair to consider the full picture.
- If you thought Snell’s comments sparked a firestorm, let’s see how this plays out … Alex Rodriguez, who earned more money playing baseball than anyone, just released an odd video calling upon players and owners to work out a 50/50 split. It’s mostly a bland call to work together, but A-Rod’s controversial background (not to mention his recent dalliance with purchasing the Mets) puts a different spin on the generally mundane words. Thing is, the owners know that going halfsies sounds fair. But the real question isn’t the relative split, it’s the absolute size of the pie the owners are offering to carve up — and how close it comes to the pro rata pay (approximately half pay for a half season) the players believe to be appropriate.
- Even if (likely when) the matter of salary is resolved, it’s clear there are quite a few complicated questions, as Jayson Stark of The Athletic (subscription link) nicely breaks down. The one that stands out: commissioner Rob Manfred says that individual players won’t be forced to play once the finances are sorted out. But what does that mean in terms of salary, service time, and the like? There’s quite a lot still for the sides to work through.
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Alex Rodriguez is still a terrible human being, big surprise.Comment -
On this day May 16, in 2015 exactly 5 years ago today, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers blasted his 400th career home run.Comment -
Man good luck to everyone tonight. Baseball not going to start for a while it seems.Comment -
Playing an 82-game season without fans in attendance and with players still making prorated salaries would cost Major League Baseball over $4 billion in free cash flow, as per a document presented from the commissioner’s office to the MLB Players Association earlier this week, The Associated Press reports.
Beyond the obvious medical and health concerns due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of player pay has been one of the major obstacles in any attempt to launch the 2020 season. The league has made the argument that players will need to accept further salary cuts than the ones already absorbed by the MLBPA as part of the March agreement between the two sides, as going ahead with a season without the added revenues of fans at ballparks would create too much of a financial burden for the league. The players, on the other hand, have argued that the March agreement has already settled the matter, as players were to receive a prorated version of their original 2020 salaries based on how many regular-season games ended up being played. In the event of an 82-game season, players would already be losing roughly half of their initially agreed-upon salaries.
The report from the commissioner’s office, a 12-page document titled “Economics of Playing Without Fans in Attendance,” details the purported losses facing the league under the current arrangement. Every game would lead to a loss of roughly $640K, and all 30 teams would face losses of at least $84MM, as per a chart of projected earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The Tigers are at the bottom of the list with an $84MM projected loss, while the Yankees would lose $312 in projected local losses — far more than the $232MM loss projected for the Dodgers, who place second on the list. (This ranking doesn’t factor in money gained from MLB’s national media revenues.)
The AP piece details many of the main points of the report, including various figures detailing how projected 2020 figures will drop significantly from projected revenue for the year (before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the world), and how these numbers stack up in comparison to revenues generated by the league during the 2019 season.
While there is no question that all parties will take a big financial hit from the abbreviated 2020 season, the MLBPA has maintained that the losses faced by the league and team owners aren’t as dire as claimed. To this end, the Associated Press writes that the players’ union “already has requested a slew of documents from MLB” for further clarification about the details of the original 12-page presentation. Earlier reports have indicated that the owners will propose a 50-50 split in 2020 revenues with the players, which the union has already shot down as a non-starter in negotiations since the MLBPA views such a split as a version of a salary cap.Comment -
IMO, they should play and the teams should take any loss. There is no way they lose $4 Billion (looks like they want to ask the government for relief, which is ridiculous). The teams make huge money year after year and will continue to do so next year and every year after that. They should take the loss for the sport and for the fans.Comment -
Where are the games going to be playedComment -
I am not holding much hope for a season.Comment -
On this day May 19, in 2019 exactly 1 years ago today, Kris Bryant of the Cubs hit three home runs in three consecutive innings against the Washington Nationals who eventually went on to win the World Series last year.
Bryant hit homers in the 7th, 8th, and ninth innings becoming just the 12th man in MLB history to do such a feat.
A pair of All Stars figured in the decisions. Max Scherzer for the Nationals (loss) and Cole Hamels for the Cubs (win)
Batting AB R H RBI BB SO PA BA OBP SLG OPS Details Kyle Schwarber LF 3 3 1 2 3 1 6 0.22 0.345 0.398 0.743 HR Kris Bryant 3B 6 3 4 5 0 1 6 0.277 0.405 0.581 0.986 3·HR,GDP Anthony Rizzo 1B 5 1 1 0 0 1 6 0.25 0.377 0.521 0.898 HBP,GDP Javier Baez SS 4 2 2 1 2 2 6 0.33 0.37 0.615 0.984 2B Willson Contreras C 5 1 4 2 1 1 6 0.32 0.422 0.633 1.055 HR Daniel Descalso 2B 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.225 0.298 0.333 0.632 Kyle Ryan P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brad Brach P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Victor Caratini PH 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.471 0.571 0.824 1.395 HBP Brandon Kintzler P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Carl Edwards Jr. P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mark Zagunis PH 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0.25 0.333 0.344 0.677 Mike Montgomery P 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0.333 0.333 0.333 0.667 Jason Heyward RF 5 1 1 0 1 1 6 0.234 0.337 0.404 0.742 Albert Almora CF 5 2 2 2 0 2 5 0.254 0.289 0.393 0.683 HR Cole Hamels P 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 Addison Russell 2B 3 1 1 0 0 0 3 0.267 0.353 0.533 0.886 Team Totals 43 14 18 13 7 11 52 0.419 0.519 0.86 1.38 Comment -
Most professional sports leagues in North America are re-starting way to early. There will be a 2nd outbreak, its just a matter of time.Comment
