MLB 2019-2020 Offseason Thread

[Meacon Keaton]

I’ll be very excited as long as it’s an actual season. This 48-game crap isn’t baseball to me. But if the Yanks are playing, I’m watching.

[Maxx]

29 minutes ago, Lowerdeck said:

If there's a prolonged strike/lockout, how much would you care when baseball returned?  And what would it take for you to really be excited again?

Baseball already has become my second favorite sport after football.   I don't bother watching most games in their entirety the last few years.  Its entirely possible baseball slips down the favorites list some more, particularly if the Red Sox aren't competitive for a few years.

Considering they are probably going to lock out 2022, not a whole lot.  If safe, I’d attend a cheap Rangers game in 2021.

[gunnar hendershow]

1 hour ago, Lowerdeck said:

If there's a prolonged strike/lockout, how much would you care when baseball returned?  And what would it take for you to really be excited again?

Baseball already has become my second favorite sport after football.   I don't bother watching most games in their entirety the last few years.  Its entirely possible baseball slips down the favorites list some more, particularly if the Red Sox aren't competitive for a few years.

I try to stay excited and I enjoy baseball in a vacuum but my team is going to be really bad if/when baseball comes back which blunts some of the appeal of it returning.

Meanwhile I can watch an endless amount of soccer from a huge number of leagues on TV, my football team is very good and more or less has been for their entire history, basketball is always fun especially in the playoffs, college football Saturdays are always special, and hockey is a blast especially now with so much young talent in the league. And then there's golf, tennis, auto racing, etc.

I love baseball but the sports offerings on TV are numerous and baseball really doesn't seem to love me back (all sports are technically like this but baseball is extremely blunt that they just want me to spend $8 on a hot dog and shut up). It's really unfortunate. I've already gone on record that if the bottom falls out and the Orioles don't renew their stadium lease and move I'll probably just quit the sport entirely. If/when the Orioles are good again I'll watch every game and follow the league with incredible focus. But when they suck like they do it just burns you out on following baseball super closely. And with all the labor strife baseball is going to be going through so much over the next few years, it's going to be a sport that's all too often out of my view. As a result it's gonna be a weird adjustment coming back.

[livid]

It might be back? 

[gunnar hendershow]

Who the fuck blinked?

So Manfred went out to Arizona to meet with Tony Clark so that's a serious indication to me the owners have basically decided to give some minor concessions.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Basically seemed like the one thing the players wanted more than anything was that it was at the pro-rated pay scale that was agreed to earlier. MLB was saying that those numbers were always with the consideration that there would be fans at games but nevertheless, that seemed to be the biggest sticking point. 

[livid]

 

Not quite a done deal I guess but close it seems? I'm guessing they're trying to hammer out the money more than anything. 

[gunnar hendershow]

The money's been the big sticking point this whole time. But if the owners come back around on prorated pay then everything's probably gonna sort itself out 

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

The other big piece I can see is whether players can opt out if they have family members who are at-risk. Could be what the grievance thing is about. 

[The Buscher]

Watch them finally come to an agreement only not even make it out of the three-week Spring Training before having to shut it all down again due to Florida and Arizona's outbreaks.

[Maxx]

1 hour ago, damsher hatfield said:

Who the fuck blinked?

So Manfred went out to Arizona to meet with Tony Clark so that's a serious indication to me the owners have basically decided to give some minor concessions.

They lost whatever control of the narrative they thought they had, because Manfred is a walking disaster.  When you manage to get Mike Trout to start speaking out, you done fucked up.

[Meacon Keaton]

2 hours ago, B-li Manning said:

Watch them finally come to an agreement only not even make it out of the three-week Spring Training before having to shut it all down again due to Florida and Arizona's outbreaks.

You stop being so negative! You've been negative this whole time. We're close to a season and you're still being negative!

NEGATIVE!

[The Buscher]

4 hours ago, Mr. Meacon Moneybags said:

You stop being so negative! You've been negative this whole time. We're close to a season and you're still being negative!

NEGATIVE!

[Meacon Keaton]

Hmm. Rob Manfred is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

On 15/06/2020 at 22:26, damsher hatfield said:

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/3196046001

See y'all in 2022.

The Phillies confirmed today that 5 players and 3 coaches tested positive for COVID-19. They are testing 32 other people for the virus.

 

[The Buscher]

MLB has now closed all Spring Training facilities for deep cleaning and nobody will be permitted onsite anymore without a negative COVID-19 test.

If they actually get the season approved, many teams are expected to hold spring training in their own ballparks anyway, presumably playing intrasquad games.

Speaking of which...the league slammed the MLBPA’s most recent 70 game offer “unreasonable” when it was just 10 games more than what the league was offering, even though they agreed to parameters on everything else.

So the league continues to refuse to negotiate in good faith, and now the latest outbreak gives them the out to cancel the whole thing which is what half the owners want anyway.

[gunnar hendershow]

They should agree on a number we all like. Make it 69 games.

[Gabriel]

1 hour ago, damsher hatfield said:

They should agree on a number we all like. Make it 69 games.

Niiiiice.

[gunnar hendershow]

Sounds like we're getting a season until too many players test positive.

[The Buscher]

The owners’ final offer was a 60 game season that the players voted on today.  After the players voted no, the owners unanimously voted to force a 60 game season.

Universal DH and expanded playoffs cancelled.