2020 Phillies Spring Training News, Notes & Discussion

[allentown]

Football has 1 starting QB and decides the season based on 16 games. Baseball teams have 5 SP so I think they can have an equally valid determination of who goes to post-season with 5 * 16 = 80 games. The post-season could be shortened, the AS break could be eliminated. They can fit in an 80-game schedule starting as late as 10 July. If they expanded pitching staffs and scheduled some double headers, they could resume as late as about 15 July and play an 80-game season and compressed playoffs. With an 80-game schedule, I'd do away with inter-league play and play the majority of games in division. Only division leaders and one wildcard per league to post-season. This is a better approach, IMHO, than no season or the strike season when the strike arguably cost Montreal its only trip to WS.

[julio]

I don't want them to bag it no matter how long the season is. We'll need the distraction once this stuff is over.

This. The sooner we can get back to something resembling normalcy, the better for peoples' state of mind. For those who appreciate baseball, this could be a big help.

It would be a bigger help if MLB decided to suspend all streaming blackout restrictions for whatever season they can organize this year - the way they do for the spring training games. Make the games more available than usual, as a public service, to help people feel like normal life is returning.

[zambonir]

A tournament would be weird but fun.

Three weeks of ST starting August 1 (July 10? Doubt it. We're just not doing things well enough or early enough).

Three weeks or so of games, all in-division. Home and home, 24-32 games depending on whether you do doubleheaders.

Tournament with 18-26 teams depending on format, byes, etc. Argument could be made for all 30 teams.

Ideally you still get a full playoff once it's down to 8 teams.

World Series at neutral site or sites.

My guess is still there won't be an NHL at all. NBA might have a better shot especially if NFL schedule is also affected (which it will be IMO, they will be a month behind on practice/exhibition schedule at the very least).

[David_Criss]

America needed the World Series after 9-11. I have to think we will get back to normal sooner rather than normal. The isolation seems to be working.

[rpmcmurphy]

I wish this was true, But I’m afraid the medical evidence all points in the opposite direction. Read the epidemiology study done by the Imperial College in London. There have been multiple articles in the press in the last two days. Just Google ‘Imperial College coronavirus’. This is the report that has finally made the leadership in Britain and the U.S. finally wake up.

[flyers19rw]

PC, Manfred doesn’t do asterisks. Just ask the Astros.

[zambonir]

Yeah the isolation is only working in limited places. Anecdotally I'd say no more than half of the population is actually taking the necessary steps. But it would also be impossible to do what was truly necessary to shut this down (more severe quarantines, limiting movement, restricting even grocery runs). Flattening the curve" is more about slowing and staggering the spread. This is still going to be a long process. 9/11 only stopped baseball for 10 days (and they'd already played most of the season).

[Austinfan]

That report is a bit exaggerated, it's based on "doing nothing."

As South Korea shows, once you have extensive testing, you don't need to shut everything down, but you do need to organize quick responses to hot spots.

But when you screw up and delay testing for a month, you allow the virus to spread exponentially, then have to crash your economy to keep it in check.

[julio]

I know it's the only thing people are thinking about, but... try to take it to the other thread.

You CAN quote something that's off-topic in one thread (e.g., this one) in a reply in a more appropriate thread.

It's not as if we all don't have time to do such things right now, eh?

Thanks!

[zambonir]

See, I was trying to restart the baseball-only talk separate from the other thread and it had the opposite effect! (Including on myself).

[David_Criss]

Got some non COVID-19, actual real baseball news yesterday.

Phillies option Garlick, five others to Triple-A

Austin Davis, Cole Irvin, Edgar Garcia, Reggie McClain, Kyle Garlick and Nick Williams were optioned to Triple-A.
According to the article, they all still stands a chance to make the Opening Day roster......the move provides the Phillies extra roster flexibility.

The Phillies have made no decisions on non-roster invitees like Francisco Liriano, Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, Logan Forsythe, Phil Gosselin and others that had March opt-out clauses. Each player has opted to remain with the team and postpone their opt-out opportunities until camp reconvenes.

[andyb]

Someone explain to me how using the option now gives them more flexibility? It seems more likely to me that they had to use the option now because the MLB season was supposed to have started. If a Irvin or Garlick was going to make that opening day roster, why burn the option before you have to?

[andyb]

The Ringer on the proposed draft and service time changes:

The Necessary Evils of MLB’s Contingency Plan for a Canceled Season

[David_Criss]

Davis was the only one of those six who was having an ok Spring, but he pretty much was facing the AA and AAA guys. So technically are Hall, Maton, Bohm, L. Williams, Mahtook, Torreyes and pitchers Russ, Norris, Jones and Howard still in camp? Those guys aren't going to make the opening day roster when baseball resumes, so why not option them now, too, so they can laser in on the competition for the opening day roster.

[andyb]

I don't think "in camp" means anything. The non-roster minor league guys all go to their proper minor league roster at some point. The non-roster outsiders that have a deadline date in their agreement hang around until that date or change the agreement. Players like Gosselin just need to wait.

The 40-man roster players are more important. Options are limited, so using those options before you have to might be a negative in the long run. None of those 6 players optioned were likely to stick on the major league roster all year anyway, so it is not a huge loss. The real reason is the team might prefer to pay them their AAA salary.

[bkeich]

The 40-man roster players are more important. Options are limited, so using those options before you have to might be a negative in the long run. None of those 6 players optioned were likely to stick on the major league roster all year anyway, so it is not a huge loss. The real reason is the team might prefer to pay them their AAA salary.

Well, and they dont accrue time, which I think is really the main reason.

[andyb]

I don't think the new agreement grants them service time in the event of a canceled or delayed season. In a partial season they will get pro-rated service time on the major league roster. In a canceled season they get the number of days they had last year.

I think this is related to the $170 million advance that players are getting for April and May on their salaries. Until the players are optioned I would guess they would get the pro-rated major league minimum. Now they probably get the pro-rated 40-man roster minor league salary which is something like $150K (Julio?). This is about saving some pennies I think on option that they were 95% likely to use anyway.

[zambonir]

So technically are Hall, Maton, Bohm, L. Williams, Mahtook, Torreyes and pitchers Russ, Norris, Jones and Howard still in camp?

They are not on the 40-man roster (let alone the 26-man roster) so there is no move necessary, with or without an actual "camp."

I think Andy is right, this is just about determining how the money is divided between major leaguers, minor leaguers on the 40 and regular minor leaguers. Phillies currently showing 27 on the active roster but Hunter and Arano would get full salary (whatever that means) if they were on the 60-day anyway, so it probably just stays at that number. They certainly wouldn't want to put them on the DL and add another player they'd have to pay (unless one or more of the guys with opt-outs force the issue, but not much leverage there).

[bkox]

The players and league agreed the 2020 MLB season won't begin until:

- There are no bans on mass gatherings that limit the ability to play in front of fans*
- There are no travel restrictions
- Medical experts determine games will not pose a risk to health of teams and fans

— Jeff Passan ( @JeffPassan ) March 27, 2020

* The caveat agreed to by the players and league is that they will consider playing games at neutral sites instead of home ballparks -- and will consider the feasibility of playing in empty stadiums and just how proper a solution it may be for both sides and especially fans.

— Jeff Passan ( @JeffPassan ) March 27, 2020

[Dirk41]

So, see youse in 2021!