2020 MLB Season Is Not A Lock

[Omega]

Atlanta Brave players test positive for Covid-19. Given the need for quarantine, if this happens when the short season starts, if this occurred on several teams, would completion of the season be in jeopardy?

From the AP:

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves four-time All-Star Freddie Freeman, premier reliever Will Smith and two teammates have tested positive for the coronavirus, a jarring hit to the NL East champions less than three weeks before the start of the pandemic-delayed season.

“It will be a while before we can get him back,” manager Brian Snitker said Saturday about Freeman.

Snitker said the four players, including right-hander Touki Toussaint and infielder Pete Kozma, agreed to have the team disclose their positive tests.

Snitker said Freeman had a negative intake test early in the week before having a positive test on Friday. Snitker said the first baseman has a fever and “is not feeling great.”

Major League Baseball has scheduled the 60-game season to start on July 23. Freeman is the biggest star in the sport so far to have his positive virus test publicly announced by his team.

The 30-year-old Freeman set career highs with 38 home runs and 121 RBIs last season to help Atlanta win its second straight NL East title. He placed fourth in the NL MVP voting in 2018 after hitting .309 with 23 homers and winning a Gold Glove.

Snitker said concerns will remain even after the four players return to workouts.

“Guys have gotten it more than once,” Snitker said. “We’re going to have to be careful all year and it’s going to be the new normal for the next three months.”

Snitker said it was important for baseball and society to know even one of the game’s biggest stars can test positive.

“It sobers everybody up that this is real,” Snitker said. “… It shows that this is a real deal and no one is immune to it.”

MLB and the players’ association announced Friday that 31 players and seven staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, a rate of 1.2 percent. Snitker said he was surprised the numbers were not higher.

Another four-time All-Star, Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, had been baseball’s biggest star to test positive before Freeman.

Snitker also said first base coach Eric Young Sr., 53, has opted out of for the season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Braves began their summer workouts at Truist Park on Friday and continued Saturday with only small groups on the field together and attempts made to practice social distancing.

Atlanta signed Smith, an All-Star with the Giants last season, to a three-year, $39 million deal in November.

Snitker said Smith and Toussaint have no symptoms. He said Kozma, who is working with top minor leaguers at the team’s Triple-A Gwinnett facilty, has a fever.

DeMarlo Hale, who had been a special assistant with the team, will fill in for Young to coach outfielders and serve as the first base coach.

“I applaud EY,” Snitker said. “It was a tough decision for him. He’s an old gamer and we’ll miss him dearly for what he brings inside this clubhouse and his energy and everything.”

https://www.wspa.com/news/braves-star-f ... for-virus/

[VetteMan]

It most certainly would be in jeopardy. That's 4 players on this one team. I hate to say it, but things are not looking good going forward.

[VetteMan]

Washington Nationals Manager Dave Martinez announced that 2 players on the team have tested positive for the Covid-19 out of 60 players that were tested. As of this past Friday, out of a total of 3185 players that have been tested, there have been 38 positive results for Covid-19.

[VetteMan]

The Chicago White Sox have announced that 2 Asymptomatic Players have tested positive for Covid-19. The players are being isolated in Chicago, and are being monitored by the team staff.

[Geronimo]

How will it work your guess is as good as mind ! Good Luck! Reds !

[VetteMan]

In a related situation, Baseball will be without a pair of Cy Young Award winners, when or perhaps if the season resumes later this month. Los Angeles Dodger pitcher David Price and Atlanta Braves pitcher Felix Hernandez have both chose to opt out of the 2020 MLB season. They join a group of other players that have chosen also to opt of this season, including Ryan Zimmerman, Mike Leake, Ian Desmond and others as well. As of this past Friday, a total of 31 players have tested positive for Covid-19. From what I have read, under the MLBPA, the player has the right to opt out of playing this season if they chose to do so because of Covid-19.

[VetteMan]

Ex Cincinnati Red, Aroldis Chapman, presently a New York Yankee has tested positive for Covid-19. Manager Aaron Boone revealed Saturday that the Yankee's closer is the latest to receive a positive diagnosis for the virus. Chapman joins 2 other Yankee players who have contracted the virus since the summer camp began. Boone said that Chapman is not at the Yankee camp, and will not return for the foreseeable future.

[VetteMan]

Some MLB players plan to wear face masks during the game. With the start of the 2020 MLB season fast approaching, players across the league have weighed in on the leagues protocols and testing plan. Among the steps that players are taking to help ensure safety throughout the 60 game season ? Is to wear their masks during games. A couple of players said that by the players wearing masks during the games, that it could help set a good example for the viewing public.

[VetteMan]

The Atlanta Braves hope to have another right-handed bat on the way as reports have surfaced Tuesday that the team will probably sign agent outfielder Yasiel Puig to a contract for the 2020 season.Puig was perhaps the biggest named player still on the market in free agency. Last year Puig hit 252 BA, with 22HR, and 62 RBI. He was then traded to Cleveland where he hit 297 BA, 2 HR, and 23 RBI. Overall, that was a 267 BA, 30 Doubles, 24 HR, and 84 RBI, and 19 SB, for the whole season.

[VetteMan]

The Atlanta Braves hope to have another right-handed bat on the way as reports have surfaced Tuesday that the team will probably sign agent outfielder Yasiel Puig to a contract for the 2020 season.Puig was perhaps the biggest named player still on the market in free agency. Last year Puig hit 252 BA, with 22HR, and 62 RBI. He was then traded to Cleveland where he hit 297 BA, 2 HR, and 23 RBI. Overall, that was a 267 BA, 30 Doubles, 24 HR, and 84 RBI, and 19 SB, for the whole season.

Yasiel Puig announced today that he has tested positive for Covid-19. Puig was expected to sign with the Atlanta Braves, but instead will remain a free agent. The two sides had yet to reach a formal agreement and intended to advance if he had tested negative for the virus. The 29 yr old outfielder said he is asymptomatic and feels absolutely fine. He plans to quarantine until he receives two negative test results.

[Geronimo]

WOW. ! Nothing else you can say?

[VetteMan]

A week away from the season opener at Texas, The Colorado Rockies on Friday released veteran relievers Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee at a cost of nearly 11 million dollars. The move opened up there 40 man roster spots for OF Matt Kemp, IF Chris Owings, and P Daniel Bard. In addition to openings created by the release of Shaw and McGee, the Rockies had a third roster spot available because of the 80 game suspension for pitcher Justin Lawrence. Lawrence tested positive in January for the use of Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, ( If that's not a mistake, that's the longest word I've ever seen ) or DHCMT, which is typically linked to the oral steroid Turinabol. By the way, it is banned by Major League Baseball.

[VetteMan]

The MLB regular season has fewer (60) games and the postseason will now have more games. That's the formula by which MLB will operate this year after an agreement, just before the 1st pitch of the 2020 season, between the owners and the MLB Players Association for a 16 team postseason structure. There will now be 16 teams, 8 from the American League, and 8 from the National League. As has been the case since 2012, there will be 4 Rd, but instead of a Rd featuring a sudden death Wild Card Game with the division winners resting, the wild card series will be best of 3 with all games at the higher seeds home park. #1vs#8, #2vs#7, #3vs#6,#4vs#5. Division series best of 5, with traditional 2-2-1 format, winner of 1-8 vs winner of 4-5, winner of 2-7 vs winner of 3-6, home field advantage goes to the higher seed. League Championship series will be best of 7, with traditional 2-3-2 format. Winner of 1-4-5-8 vs winner of 2-3-6-7 , with home field going to higher seed. World Series best of 7, with traditional 2-3-2 format. Home field advantage will go to the team with the superior regular season record.

[Omega]

The Florida Marlins Forced To Cancel Home Opener

With Covid-19 spreading, even the abbreviated 60 game schedule may become unworkable if there is zero tolerance of the disease.

https://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=1-29546790

[VetteMan]

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has told MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark om Fri that if the sport doesn't do a better job of managing the coronavirus, it could shut down for the season. Should another outbreak materialize, Manfred, who has the power to shutdown the season, could move in that direction.

[VetteMan]

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has told MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark om Fri that if the sport doesn't do a better job of managing the coronavirus, it could shut down for the season. Should another outbreak materialize, Manfred, who has the power to shutdown the season, could move in that direction.

This Commissioner doesn't seem to know which side of his mouth that he wants to talk out of. On Friday he about half way says that if the sport doesn't do a better job of managing the coronavirus, that it could just shut down for the season. I'm sure that he didn't just get a couple nights of sleep, and then had a change of heart. It wouldn't surprise me at all that he might have gotten scolded by some of the owners, and then might have tried to save face and come out with a little softer statement. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is now saying, "We are Playing." The players need to be better, "but I am not a Quitter" in general and there is "no reason to Quit" now. We have to be fluid, but it is manageable.

[VetteMan]

Not related to the coronavirus, but the New York Mets have been unsuccessful in their attempts to locate one of their players, DH/OF Yoenis Cespedes. A worrying situation is developing in Atlanta, as the Mets are in Atlanta for the weekend series, and he has not reported to the Mets, nor have they been able to contact him at all, according to the Mets GM.

[VetteMan]

I had heard earlier that there were around 20 players, that had opted out of playing this 2020 MLB season. I found a list that gives the names of the players that have opted out: Mike Leach, ( RHP- Arizona ), Ryan Zimmerman, ( 1st base-Washington ), Joe Ross, ( RHP-Washington ), Ian Desmond, ( OF-Colorado ), David Price, ( LHP-Dodgers ), Tyson Ross, ( RHP-San Francisco ), Felix Hernandez,( RHP-Atlanta ), Nick Markakis, ( OF-Atlanta ), Buster Posey, ( C-San Francisco ), Michael Kopech, ( RHP-Chicago White Sox ), Jordon Hicks, ( RHP-St Louis ), Kohl Stewart, ( RHP-Baltimore ), Lorenzo Cain, ( OF-Milwaukee ) and Isan Diaz, ( 2B-Miami ).

[VetteMan]

Not related to the coronavirus, but the New York Mets have been unsuccessful in their attempts to locate one of their players, DH/OF Yoenis Cespedes. A worrying situation is developing in Atlanta, as the Mets are in Atlanta for the weekend series, and he has not reported to the Mets, nor have they been able to contact him at all, according to the Mets GM.

New York Mets outfielder/designated hitter Yoenis C'espedes is opting out of the 2020 MLB season. GM Brodie Van Wagenen said the club learned of C'espedes's decisionlate in Sundays game against the Braves. C'espedes, 34 yr old, was appearing with the Mets for the first time since July, 2018. He went more than two years between appearances with the club after dealing with multiple injuries.

[VetteMan]

Former Los Angles Angels employee has been charged with supplying Deadly Drugs to Pitcher Tyler Shaggs of the Los Angles Angels. Eric Kay, the former Los Angles Angels media relations employee implicated in the 2019 overdose death of pitcher Tyler Shaggs, has been arrested and charged with distributing fentanyl, a federal crime for which Kay faces up to 20 years in prison. Shaggs, 27, was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on July 1st, 2019. A medical examination later determined that Shaggs choked to death on the contents of his stomach due to a fatal mixture of alcohol, oxycodone and fentanyl, a powerful opioid that has led to thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S. I apologize if I spelled his last name wrong, as it was spelled two different ways in the article.