2019-2020 MLB Non-Phillies News/Notes Discussion

[LoneStarPhan]

Time to scrap the natural rivalries that are actually not. Some logic for Phillies-A's maybe, but Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, no. I strongly favor symmetrical schedules that are fair to all teams. Every team in a division should play the exact same teams outside of the division. Perhaps and exception for this marginal season of 2020, but going forward, it's time to get scheduling flaws fixed.

Might be time to shake up the leagues and divisions for 2021 or 2022.

[zambonir]

Haha nobody cares about Phillies-A's.

Phillies-Orioles felt like a legit rivalry - especially for fans in certain parts of PA and MD - but that probably changed some with the Nats.

Yankees and Sox they love having for the ticket sales.

Phillies-Pirates is the one that's still a big loss.

It's tricky because baseball is built around the series but with realignment and universal DH it is probably time to have every team in both leagues play every other team, like the NBA and NHL. Could do alternating years home-and-home or two two-gamers.

And with eight playoff teams (which will surely be permanent) they should probably go back to two divisions (top two from each plus wild cards or just the two winners and six wild cards, depending how the schedule works).

Between the virus and the claim that they are losing money and not really knowing what the 2020 schedule looks like it also wouldn't surprise me if there are the East and West divisions don't play each other next season. That's the change you might see reflected in interleague too.

[andyb]

Players did a formal 70-game proposal, extending the season till 9/30 as opposed to 9/27. Another $25 million in playoff money included compared to the owners' proposal. It does include expanded playoffs for 2020 and 2021. I hate the 2021. If we go back to 162 games hopefully I have zero interest in expanded playoffs.

[zambonir]

It's starting to get silly, but it will be over soon enough.

MLB players make a 70-game offer and the owners are livid at the proposal. No sign of a compromise. https://t.co/N3b8Z4umSa

— Bob Nightengale ( @BNightengale ) June 18, 2020

The owners are gonna get their expanded playoffs in the new CBA anyway.

I have a hard time seeing how they go back to 162 games next year but we won't know that until January I guess. But assuming another outbreak next winter, no vaccine before spring (and it will take time to implement) and severely curtailed attendance regardless, owners won't necessarily want a full schedule with full travel.

[andyb]

I would just say they should do expanded playoffs next year only IF they don't play something like more than 120 games. Or we are going to get some 102-win team losing to a 75-win team with a couple of decent pitchers.

[zambonir]

If it's a full season, you're not going to have any 75-win teams in the playoffs. Yeah, last year Boston and Texas would have been in at 84 and 78, but neither team was actually trying to win after a certain point. Both teams were well over .500 at the all-star break and presumably would have done things differently with an expanded playoff.

I would agree they should figure out a way to not punish the top teams. Going forward (if not 2021 after) a straight bracket with such a short first round is certainly not the way to go.

[andyb]

With 16 teams out of 30 you could easily have a sub-500 team in the playoffs. Maybe more realistic for it to be a 78-80 win team, but it will definitely happen. Happens in the NBA all the time to get sub-500 teams in. Layer in the fact that baseball results are much more random than basketball and a short 3-game series and you have a recipe for upsets.

[zambonir]

MLB is so different from the NBA though in terms of the ability to improve or worsen your team mid-season. It's true that most years, based on the standings as they were, the eighth-best team had 78-80 wins, I just think it would play out differently if teams hadn't already white-flagged in July. But I still agree you gotta fix the format, whether that means a five-game series or no home games for the lower seeds or even some kind of double-elimination play-in. 16 teams is also a lot, they could do 12 or 14 or even an odd number if there is ultimately crossover wild cards. Expansion is probably still coming too, but maybe not as fast as Manfred originally planned.

[HopeSpringsEternal]

It's starting to get silly, but it will be over soon enough.

I hope you're right. The live cornhole tournaments each weekend are starting to lose their appeal.

[zambonir]

well, you've got a long wait before you can actually watch baseball. But these talks have to end soon.

[zambonir]

A bunch more info from various writers over at MLBTR.

TLDR: still no deal.

Also in union proposal, per source: Neutral site/quarantine framework if needed for 2020 postseason. Clubs would be granted permission to sell advertisements/patches on uniforms in 2020/21. Mutual waiver of potential grievances under March agreement.

— Ken Rosenthal ( @Ken_Rosenthal ) June 18, 2020

[Dirk41]

They are actually going to spontaneously combust the sport.

[zambonir]

It's awful, but it's also nothing new. We had decades of labor peace and record revenue growth, but the post-Moneyball McKinsey/Silicon Valley approach to ownership and management has no consideration for the players or fans and it's been heading this way for a while. Clark gets no credit either (or rather, he gets a lot).

Buster Olney wrote a column recently in which he argued that it's like Jeff Luhnow is still running all of MLB and he's not wrong, including the minor league stuff. And we thought Selig was bad! It threatens the very core of what we want from baseball - that it's America's Pastime and a public trust (which it really is, legally and given all the public money involved), not something that exists for shareholders and P/E ratios.

But it's also circumstantial. Easy for NHL and NBA to just toggle to almost-playoffs. Easy for football to start (assuming it really can). Baseball was in a unique spot, timing-wise. And negotiating in public is never pretty.

[jimbomill]

Frankly, I prefer no DH

I too am disappointed that what I call pure baseball has been abandoned. No DH was what I enjoyed most about the Senior Circuit.

[andyb]

Latest Fangraphs on the players' offer. Bottom line is that it is not too far apart financially from the owner's offer when you factor in additional things like advertising on uniforms (which we will all hate of course).

Players’ Proposal Should Get Everyone Closer to Major League Baseball

[zambonir]

advertising on uniforms (which we will all hate of course).

Oh, how the pearls will be clutched!

I'm sure it will be less conspicuous than the NBA (i.e. on sleeves not chest). I've grown used to it from MLS (but I'm fortunate to have vaguely good feelings about my team's sponsor. Nevertheless, I've only bought one piece of merch in 10 years and that would probably not be the case if it didn't look like an Alaska Airlines shirt).

At this point (in part because of disputes like these) it's hard for me to think of the MLB or team logos as anything other than corporate brands themselves.

[Lawman]

At this point (in part because of disputes like these) it's hard for me to think of the MLB or team logos as anything other than corporate brands themselves.

Pretty much. And why pass on sources of revenue? We're all used to it at this point.

[LoneStarPhan]

I'm sure we all will hate the ad logos on uniforms. It seems a dangerous move on the part of MLB. Just allowing the Nike Swoosh for 2020 seems to have pretty much ruined baseball for the season.

** insert tongue in cheek emoji here **

Sample Nike Swoosh on MLB Uniform

[zambonir]

Finnish hockey

[HopeSpringsEternal]

Finnish hockey

Very NASCAR-esque