Quote from BoosterSD on February 8, 2021, 6:32 pm

Barring injury, I see this rotation order.

Darvish, Snell, Lamet, Musgrove, Weathers, Paddack.

6 man rotation, and Weathers makes the 26 man roster.

Quote from fenn68 on February 9, 2021, 6:31 am

MLB and the MLBPA have reached a “health and safety” protocol agreement for 2021 ... a lot of stuff (much like in the 2020 agreement) but:

1. NO DH in NL

2. 26 man roster (28 on Sep 1 ... 5 man taxi squad)

3. Seven inning double headers

4. Same extra inning rules with runner on base

A lot of other stuff in a very long agreement but paves the way for ST opening on Feb 17 and the season starting Apr 1.

Let the games begin.

Quote from Brian Connelly on February 10, 2021, 8:28 am

I still wouldn't rule out expanded playoffs or even DH at the 11th hour.  Didn't they agree to expand playoffs AFTER season started last year?  So much $ there.  DH would have to be game 1 though.  With the "big" impacted by DH guys Ozuna & Cruz re-signed, the impact here is now at a much lower "Mitch Moreland" tier of player.  Would think most teams want it competitively & so Yu Darvish & Blake Snell aren't swinging a bat.

Quote from fenn68 on February 10, 2021, 10:26 am

Quote from Brian Connelly on February 10, 2021, 8:28 am

I still wouldn't rule out expanded playoffs or even DH at the 11th hour.  Didn't they agree to expand playoffs AFTER season started last year?  So much $ there.  DH would have to be game 1 though.  With the "big" impacted by DH guys Ozuna & Cruz re-signed, the impact here is now at a much lower "Mitch Moreland" tier of player.  Would think most teams want it competitively & so Yu Darvish & Blake Snell aren't swinging a bat.

Never know but expanded playoffs would be the more difficult one to pull off.

Both side actually want the DH ... but put different values on it. That seems to push the owners to tie other issues the players don't really want ... result stalemate. Since this is only a one year question and the CBA with all the issues open next winter doubt the Union bites.

If the owners just said ... let's agree on the DH for 2021 and stopped there ... pretty sure the Union just accepts and we have the DH. For 2021, not a lot of money involved as additional expense to the owners or revenue to the players but a strong argument for health and safety for pitchers.

Expanded playoff on the other hand is big money with most going to the owners ... players want a bigger share of the pie ... big chip in the new CBA negotiations. Some smoke on both sides with the owners saying expanded playoffs will push salaries up as more teams want to improve to make the playoffs while the Union says expanding the playoffs will depress salaries since more teams will make the playoffs without needing upgrades. Pick the argument you like ... probably it depends on the teams and the pluses may offset the minuses.

Quote from MrPadre19 on February 10, 2021, 10:59 am

I completely disagree with the players narrative that expanded playoffs will depress salaries.

I believe the exact opposite to be true.

More teams make the playoffs therefore more teams will be in the hunt for the playoffs and be "buyers" in the offseason(free agents) and at the deadline(trades).

This off season alone showed that the main teams to make moves to improve were teams already expected to make the playoffs(SD,LAD,CHW,ATL) and teams who are close(NYM,TOR,Phi,).

If there were two more playoff spots available I would have expected teams like (Cle,CHC,Mia,Tex) to do even more to improve......not less.

I just don't see how more playoff spots to have a shot at would mean less spending to try and get them.

 

Quote from fenn68 on February 10, 2021, 12:43 pm

More money to players can (and will be) spun a number of ways ... can’t know unless that environment actually existed.

Part of the Union view is that money will move around but the aggregate will not significantly increase ... teams still will manage to budgets and for every extra dollar spent on player A ... players will lose jobs as the mix of league minimum players increases. Basically veteran “fringe” players will get squeezed out. Maybe even less motivation for non-contenders to pay the leftovers and just go low end. Union at some level looks at this from the total money spent on payroll perspective.

=====

What really the Union targets is the disparity between the money gets from expanded playoffs and what the players get ... already big in favor of the owners and expanding the playoffs just widens the gap. This is a major issue ... and will be a CBA battle.

Quote from MrPadre19 on February 10, 2021, 1:02 pm

Do you think expansion will be part of the next CBA?

Two additional teams would surely benefit everybody.

More roster spots for MLBPA and buy in money spread 30 ways for Owners.

I know  many think it will water down the quality but there are way more benefits so  it’s gonna happen......why not now?

Especially with teams having revenue issues due to Covid.

Expansions solves each teams revenue issue in the short term.

 

 

Quote from fenn68 on February 10, 2021, 1:45 pm

Quote from MrPadre19 on February 10, 2021, 1:02 pm

Do you think expansion will be part of the next CBA?

Two additional teams would surely benefit everybody.

More roster spots for MLBPA and buy in money spread 30 ways for Owners.

I know  many think it will water down the quality but there are way more benefits so  it’s gonna happen......why not now?

Especially with teams having revenue issues due to Covid.

Expansions solves each teams revenue issue in the short term.

 

 

I would love expansion ... the Union I suspect would love expansion. Ah but the owners maybe not so much. At least two reasons:

1. Although they would split the expansion fee to improve their cash position ... at the same time (and forever) they would now have to share all the TV and product monies 32 ways instead of 30 and hurt their future cash position.

2. The owners still want to leverage cities as potential relocation sites for existing teams to get new facilities / better agreements with their current cities .... primarily looking at TB and OAK but potentially CLEV whose deal on their current facility is expiring. Basically use the NFL strategy of extortion.

Expansion makes a lot of sense for scheduling and rolling MLB to other major markets ... but MONEY for the owners is maybe more a motivator.

Probably will happen but mid to late this decade before a real serious discussion ... after TB moves to Montreal, OAK moves to Las Vegas, and CLEV moves to Nashville.

Quote from MrPadre19 on February 11, 2021, 6:34 am

https://www.hotsr.com/news/2021/feb/10/mlb-requires-players-to-wear-electronic-tracers/

 

Here's a story that explains further the safety protocols MLB has put in to place that the Players have agreed too.

The "contact tracing" wristbands are interesting.