[stevenash]

Peavy defending those greedy owners again. Players not asking for 100% of salaries, just something fair. David Price shouldn’t be paying out of his pocket to pay minor leaguers when owners have billions.

I see both sides of the argument,
Owners and players present both good and not so good points.

[jrgum3]

Of course they will.
If ESPN televised two flys people will wager on which fly lands on the wall first.

”if it moves you can bet on it”
Mo the Bartender
-The Simpsons

That's the truth. I will still watch sports but only because you will be able to bet money on sports when they return. I'm sure there will be plenty of people in that boat and those sports are counting on that being the case as are the sportsbooks.

[JMobile]

I need MLB back in my life

[EmpireMaker]

After undergoing Tommy John surgery during Spring Training, Yankees right-hander Luis Severino tells George A. King III of the New York Post that “things have been progressing well” in the initial stages of the rehabilitation process. Severino has been working with team trainers at the Yankees’ Spring Training facility in Tampa “since the day after I had my surgery,” and said he has “been making steady progress — lifting, doing exercises. Since three months ago…I feel way better. I’m doing everything I need to do right now so that I can start throwing this summer.”
Given the normal 12-15 month timeline attached to TJ recovery, it would be a boon for both Severino and the Yankees if he is able to return by Opening Day 2021 (assuming next season begins as usual in late March), and it’s probably more realistic to assume he’ll miss at least a month of a regularly-scheduled 2021 campaign. Severino already missed almost all of the 2019 season due to lat and shoulder injuries, tossing only 20 1/3 total innings over the regular season and postseason.
More from around the AL East…

• Had the season begun as expected, the Red Sox “would have had some tough decisions to get down to 26” players on the Opening Day roster, manager Ron Roenicke tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Now, since Major League rosters are expected to be expanded by anywhere from two to four extra players, it “will give us a chance to keep some players we like,” Roenicke said. This is one small silver lining amidst a wholly unique season that will present many difficulties for all teams, as Abraham outlines how Roenicke is trying to keep his team prepared both in the short term and in preparation of whatever shape the 2020 season (if it happens at all) could take. Providing updates on a few players, Roenicke said starters Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, and Ryan Weber have been throwing two simulated innings per week in order to stay fresh, with the idea being that the quartet can quickly ramp up to being able to toss five innings by the end of an abbreviated second Spring Training.
• Rays left-hander Blake Snell recently became the Boras Corporation’s newest client, which agent Scott Boras calls “a great opportunity for us,” the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin writes. “We consider him an elite performer who is still at the beginning of his career,” Boras said, noting that his agency’s “resources” in both on-field preparation and off-the-field endeavors make for “a great combination” with Snell. The southpaw’s contract runs through the 2023 season, and while there isn’t any immediate opening for the Boras Corporation to receive a commission on a future deal, Boras repeatedly dismissed the suggestion that his change in representation could be a step towards finding a new team. “The main idea right now is that we’re going to work with the team to provide every resource and to make [Snell] a better Ray,” Boras said.

[Otters27]

I need MLB back in my life

How you like the Korea Ball?

It's ok

[Chi_archie]

I need MLB back in my life

its more than past time for it to happen

[stevenash]

On this date, June 1, 2012 exactly 8 years ago to the day, the Mets Johan Santana threw the first no hitter in the Mets 50 year history.
Santana needed 134 pitches and walked five to beat the Cardinals 8-0.

Trivia:
Which Mets defender saved Santana's no hitter, and what Cardinal hit the ball?

[koz-man]

Massachusetts pro teams can reopen practice facilities, governor says


Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says the state's five professional sports teams -- the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, New England Patriots and New England Revolution -- can resume practicing at their respective facilities on June 6.

But Baker made clear the reopening of those facilities must be done in accordance with the health and safety rules that each of the leagues is developing.

The Celtics announced they will begin voluntary individual workouts at their facility on Monday. Workouts will be conducted in accordance with city, state, CDC and NBA requirements, with only four players allowed to work out at a time.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday, after an owners conference call, that the virtual offseason is being extended for two more weeks. In a memo sent to the 32 teams and obtained by The Associated Press, he outlined the next phase of reopening of club facilities, which can begin Monday.

NBA teams have allowed players back at their training facilities for voluntary sessions since May 8, with more than half of the league's franchises having already taken advantage of that opportunity.

The NHL, which is ironing out details to resume its season by jumping straight to a 24-team playoff format, released a memo this week saying it is targeting early next month as the start date for Phase 2 of its return-to-play protocol. It includes the opening of practice rinks and allowing small, voluntary group workouts on and off the ice.

[Carseller4]

Players want 114 games.
Owners want 60 games.

Sounds like the middle is going to be around 82 or thereabouts.

[ApricotSinner32]

After undergoing Tommy John surgery during Spring Training, Yankees right-hander Luis Severino tells George A. King III of the New York Post that “things have been progressing well” in the initial stages of the rehabilitation process. Severino has been working with team trainers at the Yankees’ Spring Training facility in Tampa “since the day after I had my surgery,” and said he has “been making steady progress — lifting, doing exercises. Since three months ago…I feel way better. I’m doing everything I need to do right now so that I can start throwing this summer.”
Given the normal 12-15 month timeline attached to TJ recovery, it would be a boon for both Severino and the Yankees if he is able to return by Opening Day 2021 (assuming next season begins as usual in late March), and it’s probably more realistic to assume he’ll miss at least a month of a regularly-scheduled 2021 campaign. Severino already missed almost all of the 2019 season due to lat and shoulder injuries, tossing only 20 1/3 total innings over the regular season and postseason.
More from around the AL East…

• Had the season begun as expected, the Red Sox “would have had some tough decisions to get down to 26” players on the Opening Day roster, manager Ron Roenicke tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Now, since Major League rosters are expected to be expanded by anywhere from two to four extra players, it “will give us a chance to keep some players we like,” Roenicke said. This is one small silver lining amidst a wholly unique season that will present many difficulties for all teams, as Abraham outlines how Roenicke is trying to keep his team prepared both in the short term and in preparation of whatever shape the 2020 season (if it happens at all) could take. Providing updates on a few players, Roenicke said starters Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, and Ryan Weber have been throwing two simulated innings per week in order to stay fresh, with the idea being that the quartet can quickly ramp up to being able to toss five innings by the end of an abbreviated second Spring Training.
• Rays left-hander Blake Snell recently became the Boras Corporation’s newest client, which agent Scott Boras calls “a great opportunity for us,” the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin writes. “We consider him an elite performer who is still at the beginning of his career,” Boras said, noting that his agency’s “resources” in both on-field preparation and off-the-field endeavors make for “a great combination” with Snell. The southpaw’s contract runs through the 2023 season, and while there isn’t any immediate opening for the Boras Corporation to receive a commission on a future deal, Boras repeatedly dismissed the suggestion that his change in representation could be a step towards finding a new team. “The main idea right now is that we’re going to work with the team to provide every resource and to make [Snell] a better Ray,” Boras said.

[batt33]

Players want 114 games.
Owners want 60 games.

Sounds like the middle is going to be around 82 or thereabouts.

wish they would hurry up and get going....

[jrgum3]

wish they would hurry up and get going....

Yep time is ticking if there is going to be a baseball season this year. Hopefully they can reach an agreement and they can start playing ball sooner rather than later.

[EmpireMaker]

10:09pm: The two sides remain far apart in talks, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports in a piece that’s worth reading in full. In regards to the counter-proposal the union made over the weekend, deputy commissioner Dan Halem told Sherman via text: “The one piece of good news out of [Sunday’s] meeting is that Tony Clark acknowledged that the March Agreement contemplated another negotiation over player salaries if the 2020 season could not be played in front of fans. We were concerned based on media reports if players knew that. Tony told us the players were aware that the March Agreement did not resolve the issue of player salaries in a season without fans. And he said the players‘ decision to accept nothing less than 100 percent of their prorated salaries was due to the risks of playing the season, not because they were promised it in the March 26 agreement.” Clark fired back in an email to Sherman, though, calling Halem’s quote “purposefully misleading and inaccurate.” Clark added that MLB is trying to “negotiate through the media instead of focusing on how to bring baseball back to its fans.”
6:58pm: A season with roughly 50 games would be “a last resort” for the league, Passan writes. The hope remains that MLB and the MLBPA will reach an agreement to avoid that outcome.
4:48pm: The MLBPA and MLB haven’t been able to see eye to eye on a potential 2020 season as they negotiate during this pandemic. In the latest developments, the union proposed a 114-game season this past weekend, though it seems the league is open to a much shorter campaign. MLB plans to propose a smaller schedule – perhaps one with as few as 50 to 60 games – per Jeff Passan of ESPN, but the league would give players a full portion of their prorated salaries.
Whether this plan will appeal to the players remains to be seen, as they wouldn’t come close to their normal salaries in such an abbreviated season. However, as Jon Heyman of MLB Network notes, commissioner Rob Manfred has the right to implement a schedule that’s as long or short as he wants based on the agreement the owners and players made back in March. As of now, Manfred and the league are still hoping to reach some sort of compromise that works out for both sides, Heyman suggests, but Passan adds that MLB is prepared to go with a schedule length of its choosing if it’s unable to find common ground with the players.
Season length aside, it’s notable that the league’s willing to give players their prorated salaries without further reductions in pay. The league presented its latest economic proposal last week – one that didn’t go over well with players, including Nationals ace and influential union member Max Scherzer, who noted the players had already agreed to take lower salaries in the form of prorated salaries and weren’t open to accepting even less money. A 50- to 60-game schedule obviously would not be ideal for the players from a financial standpoint, but if they’re not on board with this plan, perhaps they and the owners will be able to meet in the middle on schedule length in the coming weeks and get a 2020 campaign underway.

[EmpireMaker]

MLB and the players association have now swapped financial proposals with each expressing distaste for the opposing plan. And while that keeps the sides far away from an agreement to restart the game, they do continue to heighten a war of words.

The players association, represented by executive director Tony Clark and lead negotiator Bruce Meyer, delivered its proposal Sunday in a teleconference with commissioner Rob Manfred and his top aide, Dan Halem. The plan called for 114 games (MLB proposed 82) and that the players receive their prorated salaries for games played (MLB proposed a sliding scale in which the richest players would take the biggest hit and reduce salaries for everyone).
The sides remain far apart with the best outcome being an agreement early next week at the latest that could restart the regular season on Independence Day weekend. But there are no signs of real traction. Quite the opposite.
MLB has been concerned that the players association has misrepresented the March 26 agreement to the players by dismissing language that called for new conversations about economic feasibility if games return without paying spectators and stating that the issue was settled with a management promise of prorated salary in the same document.
Enlarge ImageTony Clark; Rob ManfredAP To that end, Halem told The Post in a text, “The one piece of good news out of [Sunday’s] meeting is that Tony Clark acknowledged that the March Agreement contemplated another negotiation over player salaries if the 2020 season could not be played in front of fans. We were concerned based on media reports if players knew that. Tony told us the players were aware that the March Agreement did not resolve the issue of player salaries in a season without fans. And he said the players‘ decision to accept nothing less than 100 percent of their prorated salaries was due to the risks of playing the season, not because they were promised it in the March 26 agreement.”
When Clark was provided that quote, he responded in an email:
“Dan’s quote about Sunday’s meeting is purposefully misleading and inaccurate. We have an agreement on compensation that says clearly how players get paid in the event games are played — pro rata. In fact, the league recently confirmed in writing that, ‘We agree with the Association that, under the Agreement, players are not required to accept less than their full prorated salary.’
“We have never denied that MLB has the ability to come back and try to persuade us to change that agreement based on their economic concerns. They’ve tried unsuccessfully. In fact, Rob confirmed [Sunday] that, ‘We can pay you 100 percent of salary right now.’ This is all part of the league’s attempts to negotiate through the media instead of focusing on how to bring baseball back to its fans.”








Where does this leave the sides? Not in a great place. As part of the Sunday meeting, MLB floated a concept that it could pay players their prorated salaries, but do so for just 40-60 games. MLB believes that the March 26 agreement empowers Manfred to do that as long as certain economic and health items are covered. The union would counter that the agreement calls for the sides in good faith to try to play as many games as possible and that a reduction from MLB’s initial 82-game proposal is not good faith.
There is no true deadline yet for restarting the season. The players’ plan calls for playing regular-season games through October, which MLB thinks is not smart because of fear the coronavirus will resurge in the cooler fall weather. MLB’s floated concept is to shorten the regular season, which the players see as another artificial pose to lower salaries. Both ideas would allow the sides to keep negotiating beyond next week.
For now, the negotiations are not bringing the sides closer to an agreement. Their historic mistrust and hostilities — not solutions — are currently dominating the relationship.

[ApricotSinner32]

Massachusetts pro teams can reopen practice facilities, governor says


Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says the state's five professional sports teams -- the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, New England Patriots and New England Revolution -- can resume practicing at their respective facilities on June 6.

But Baker made clear the reopening of those facilities must be done in accordance with the health and safety rules that each of the leagues is developing.

The Celtics announced they will begin voluntary individual workouts at their facility on Monday. Workouts will be conducted in accordance with city, state, CDC and NBA requirements, with only four players allowed to work out at a time.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday, after an owners conference call, that the virtual offseason is being extended for two more weeks. In a memo sent to the 32 teams and obtained by The Associated Press, he outlined the next phase of reopening of club facilities, which can begin Monday.

NBA teams have allowed players back at their training facilities for voluntary sessions since May 8, with more than half of the league's franchises having already taken advantage of that opportunity.

The NHL, which is ironing out details to resume its season by jumping straight to a 24-team playoff format, released a memo this week saying it is targeting early next month as the start date for Phase 2 of its return-to-play protocol. It includes the opening of practice rinks and allowing small, voluntary group workouts on and off the ice.

[Chi_archie]

Yep time is ticking if there is going to be a baseball season this year. Hopefully they can reach an agreement and they can start playing ball sooner rather than later.

time for action

[stevenash]

Players want 114 games.
Owners want 60 games.

Sounds like the middle is going to be around 82 or thereabouts.

I've been saying play 82 games for a month.
You can play 82 games easily if you start up July 4.
15 weeks, average 5 1/2 games a week, there's your games.

[koz-man]

I've been saying play 82 games for a month.
You can play 82 games easily if you start up July 4.
15 weeks, average 5 1/2 games a week, there's your games.

Yep...Owners/Players make it happen...

Plz

[stevenash]

On this date, June 2, 2017 exactly 3 years ago to the day, the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw struck out 14 Marlins becoming the third fastest pitcher to reach the 2,000 career strike out plateau.

Now if he can only learn how to pitch in the playoffs.

[BigSpoon]

I've been saying play 82 games for a month.
You can play 82 games easily if you start up July 4.
15 weeks, average 5 1/2 games a week, there's your games.

I'll take 82 games in a heartbeat. I don't think we'll end up getting games though.

[JMobile]

MLB needs to comeback before the players start to get political

[stevenash]

I just read an hour ago a 50 game schedule has a chance of happening.
I'll take it, I don’t like less than 82 games but I’ll take 50.

With 50 games it’s a dash and the right teams that have a solid front three starters have a clear advantage.
Pitching wins.

[batt33]

I just read an hour ago a 50 game schedule has a chance of happening.
I'll take it, I don’t like less than 82 games but I’ll take 50.

With 50 games it’s a dash and the right teams that have a solid front three starters have a clear advantage.
Pitching wins.

50 games is a drag race, But i'll take it

[stevenash]

50 games is a drag race, But i'll take it

If it is a 50 game season it certainly is a drag race.

Now I just looked at all the teams with the additions of free agent pitching signings.
This is what sticks out.

Trevor Bauer signing with the Reds was huge.
With the addition of the bats as well the Reds will be a real contender.
Bauer is an innings eater.
(Bauer's numbers are 2019 Indians stats.)

Trevor Bauer	CIN	11	13	4.48	34	213	184	82	1.249	7.8	1.4	3.5	10.7	3.09
Luis Castillo	CIN	15	8	3.4	32	190.2	139	79	1.143	6.6	1	3.7	10.7	2.86
Sonny Gray	CIN	11	8	2.87	31	175.1	122	68	1.084	6.3	0.9	3.5	10.5	3.01
Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	9	9	3.89	31	166.2	151	49	1.2	8.2	1.6	2.6	9	3.41

What really sticks out to me is the Phillies signing Zach Wheeler.
Now Efrin is not really Cy Young by any stretch but look what Wheeler does for the Phils.
(Wheeler's numbers are 2019 Mets stats)

Aaron Nola	PHI	12	7	3.87	34	202.1	176	80	1.265	7.8	1.2	3.6	10.2	2.86
Zack Wheeler	PHI	11	8	3.96	31	195.1	196	50	1.259	9	1	2.3	9	3.9
Zach Eflin	PHI	10	13	4.13	28	163.1	172	48	1.347	9.5	1.5	2.6	7.1	2.69

The teams to beat in the NL remain LA and Washington, but do you really want to face these three guys in a 50 game sprint.
The loss of Rendon in the middle of the order hurts of course, but the loss of Ryu for the Dodgers weakens that strong rotation some.
I don't think Rich Hill is invincible.

Stephen Strasburg	WSN	18	6	3.32	33	209	161	56	1.038	6.9	1	2.4	10.8	4.48
Patrick Corbin*	WSN	14	7	3.25	33	202	169	70	1.183	7.5	1.1	3.1	10.6	3.4
Max Scherzer	WSN	11	7	2.92	27	172.1	144	33	1.027	7.5	0.9	1.7	12.7	7.36

[Cross]

50 games means nobody should be tanking, I’m in.

[jrgum3]

So the question is will the players cave and agree to a 50 game sprint? It's better than nothing but everything I've heard and read is that the players would rather play as long a season as possible. I think the owners know that and threw the 50 game proposal out there to get a dialougue going so that they can reach an agreement thats more in the middle of 50 and 100+ games so that everybody's happy. As for me as a fan I'd rather see at least 82 games but if they settle on 50 than I guess I'll take it since it means we get baseball this year.

[EmpireMaker]

It’s well known that Major League Baseball owners and players have been at loggerheads over several important issues during the sport’s shutdown. One of the key disagreements centers on the length of a potential season. The union side proposed a 114-game campaign with full prorated salaries over the weekend, but the owners clearly have other ideas.
While they have already proposed a sliding pay scale based on an 82-game schedule, they’ve at least kicked around the idea of something in the vicinity of 50 games. Even as few as 42 contests is a possibility, according to Bill Shaikin and Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. At least to the owners, that would offer some sort of season while mitigating teams’ monetary losses during a year in which there may not be any fans in the stands. MLB claims it would lose $4 billion if there’s an 82-game, spectator-less season in which the players would receive full prorated salaries.
As of now, however, a 50-game season doesn’t look like something the players are going to accept. Commissioner Rob Manfred is allowed to implement as long or short a schedule as he wants; however, as Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported earlier, the players may be able to object based on the agreement the sides made in March. That deal says the commissioner’s office must make “best efforts to play as many games as possible.”
The players, like the owners, have finances near the forefront of their minds during this standoff. The league’s potential proposal would entitle the players to prorated salaries, but it wouldn’t move the needle enough for them during a severely truncated campaign. As Travis Sawchik of FiveThirtyEight tweets, 50 games is “not acceptable” to the union side. Furthermore, Sawchik points out this potential proposal wouldn’t make nearly enough of a financial difference in the players’ minds. They’d earn roughly 31 percent of their pay – about the same total as owners offered in their first proposal – per Sawchik.
Beyond the money factor, there’s concern on the players’ side over whether a 50-game season would be worthwhile, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com explains. For instance, would it behoove the players to put themselves at greater risk for injury or contraction of the coronavirus during what would essentially be one-third of a typical season, wherein they’d earn far less money than expected? Rogers also wonders how such a shortened season could affect salaries down the line, as teams and players would have to weigh such a small sample of statistics in future contract talks.
This continue to look like a dire situation for the game, especially with time running out toward actually starting any kind of season (remember, the players would still have to go through another few weeks of spring training beforehand). Now, if the owners don’t offer another counter-proposal, the players will be “done” talking, Sawchik reports.

[ApricotSinner32]

After undergoing Tommy John surgery during Spring Training, Yankees right-hander Luis Severino tells George A. King III of the New York Post that “things have been progressing well” in the initial stages of the rehabilitation process. Severino has been working with team trainers at the Yankees’ Spring Training facility in Tampa “since the day after I had my surgery,” and said he has “been making steady progress — lifting, doing exercises. Since three months ago…I feel way better. I’m doing everything I need to do right now so that I can start throwing this summer.”
Given the normal 12-15 month timeline attached to TJ recovery, it would be a boon for both Severino and the Yankees if he is able to return by Opening Day 2021 (assuming next season begins as usual in late March), and it’s probably more realistic to assume he’ll miss at least a month of a regularly-scheduled 2021 campaign. Severino already missed almost all of the 2019 season due to lat and shoulder injuries, tossing only 20 1/3 total innings over the regular season and postseason.
More from around the AL East…

• Had the season begun as expected, the Red Sox “would have had some tough decisions to get down to 26” players on the Opening Day roster, manager Ron Roenicke tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Now, since Major League rosters are expected to be expanded by anywhere from two to four extra players, it “will give us a chance to keep some players we like,” Roenicke said. This is one small silver lining amidst a wholly unique season that will present many difficulties for all teams, as Abraham outlines how Roenicke is trying to keep his team prepared both in the short term and in preparation of whatever shape the 2020 season (if it happens at all) could take. Providing updates on a few players, Roenicke said starters Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, and Ryan Weber have been throwing two simulated innings per week in order to stay fresh, with the idea being that the quartet can quickly ramp up to being able to toss five innings by the end of an abbreviated second Spring Training.
• Rays left-hander Blake Snell recently became the Boras Corporation’s newest client, which agent Scott Boras calls “a great opportunity for us,” the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin writes. “We consider him an elite performer who is still at the beginning of his career,” Boras said, noting that his agency’s “resources” in both on-field preparation and off-the-field endeavors make for “a great combination” with Snell. The southpaw’s contract runs through the 2023 season, and while there isn’t any immediate opening for the Boras Corporation to receive a commission on a future deal, Boras repeatedly dismissed the suggestion that his change in representation could be a step towards finding a new team. “The main idea right now is that we’re going to work with the team to provide every resource and to make [Snell] a better Ray,” Boras said.

[Otters27]

I'll take a 50 game season

[Chi_archie]

I'll take a 50 game season

anything

[BigSpoon]

I'll take a 50 game season

I'll take it too but its a bit of a joke honestly. Equivalent to 25 game NBA/NHL season or a 5 game NFL season.

[stevenash]

On this date, June 3, 2017 exactly 3 years ago to the day, Edinson Volquez of the Marlins threw a no hitter, walking two Diamondbacks.
What makes this no hitter rare is both base runners were erased by double plays which meant Volquez faced just the minimum 27 batters.

Volquez was very important for my 2015 champion Royals too by the way.

[Cross]

Load management for MLB this year.

[jrgum3]

I'll take it too but its a bit of a joke honestly. Equivalent to 25 game NBA/NHL season or a 5 game NFL season.

I think we can all agree with this. That's why I don't think the players will ever go for it because they want to play enough games to make it worthwhile. Hopefully they can meet in the middle somewhere because I think its better for everyone involved that they play as many games as possible.

[cincinnatikid513]

feel bad for the minor league cities