Phils & Covid

[EDmuch]

Moniak can not be traded for pennies on the dollar. Right now he is worth only 4 cents. And if Moniak wants out, all he has to do is continue playing like he has done in the past. I am sure he is on the trading block now.

[zambonir]

I hope the Phillies will not trade for or sign any free agent who is not fully vaccinated.

I hope MLB and the Players Association reach an agreement that requires every player to be fully vaccinated unless there is a documented valid medical reason not to be vaccinated.

That first one will be interesting. Not sure the Phillies can afford to restrict themselves in terms of available talent. I bet it didn't even come up in the draft room. But I agree about the MLBPA, hopefully the fact that there is a new CBA will make that more possible, if still a very tall order.

It's really quite ludicrous, baseball is the least North American and least college-educated of any sports, but anyone who played college hockey, basketball, football or baseball already had to have the MMR vaccine, and the same will likely be true of COVID in the end, if not in every state.

Major junior hockey has also mandated the COVID-19 vaccine so NHL won't have to worry about this when drafting.

Moniak can be traded like Appel was traded, he's not a total giveaway, but he gets you nothing on his own.

[bkox]

MLB plans COVID-19 vaccine mandate for minor-league players in 2022

[LoneStarPhan]

Certainly reflects badly on MLB that they don't have the same requirement for the MLB players. Yes, I know this is my opinion and others may disagree.

I would hope that states that require vaccination or recent negative test for attending events extend that requirement to the participants as well.

[zambonir]

It's just not up to MLB is all. So it reflects badly on the union. The loophole here is that the minor league mandate won't apply to anyone on the 40.

Boy, I hope we don't need the states to require all that stuff for outdoor events come April. Sadly, we still might.

[BostonRoss]

I wonder why the president’s mandate doesn’t apply to the major sports. Unionization doesn’t seem to trump it.

[andyb]

The President's mandate is for organizations over 100 people and is not really a vaccine mandate as it offers a choice between that and weekly testing. MLB's current policy offers some form of that choice already, so they likely comply with the mandate currently. Whether they should do their own mandate is likely subject to collective bargaining. Hopefully they do, or make the alternative testing and masking regulations onerous enough to push most people into getting vaccinated.

[zambonir]

Not to mention it's still not in force.

[BostonRoss]

Yet many large companies who have unionized employees (retailers, airlines, etc.) began requiring vaccinations after the president announced his mandate (or whatever a better term is), even if it doesn’t have the force of law behind it now. Enforcing a vaccine requirement only for the least powerful and most vulnerable employees (including minor leaguers seems cowardly to me.

[zambonir]

It's just the reality. They have the power to mandate their non-baseball employees and minor leaguers do it; they can't require it of the players without collective bargaining. Which will obviously happen, though since it is part of the bigger overall labor picture, and no other men's pro sports league has done it (nor has the WNBA for that matter, they just happen to have 100% compliance) who knows if it will actually be agreed to. I'm sure the owners care about the issue a lot less than the CBT.

The airlines are firing people who won't comply, as are governments. MLB can't do that either, which is where it would get really interesting if they did reach an agreement with the union. Would contracts become void? Unvaccinated players simply go on suspension (unpaid? paid?) as they could during the unvaccinated portion of the pandemic? In the long run this vaccine isn't going to be any different than the flu (which MLB presumably does not require) or MMR (ditto but probably nearly everyone has it either from school or their US work permits).

[BostonRoss]

I’m not sure I understand why additional collective bargaining would be needed for the MLBPA but not for unions in other industries.

[zambonir]

Well, that's a good point, though I don't think we've even begun to see unions and employees put up resistance/take it to court. But at the end of the day, you are probably right. If Manfred wanted to unilaterally institute this he could do so, and deal with the fallout later. But it's a political decision for him too (and I don't mean because the vaccine has been politicized, but rather the politics of the current labor dispute).

I suspect them doing it for the minor leagues is as much about their ability to just do whatever they want to minor leaguers as anything else.

I suppose it does also solve the problem long-term, if we do end getting annual vaccinations like the flu. Eventually no one will be getting added to the 40 who hasn't already been subject to the mandate. Will be interesting to see who resists among recent high draft picks (and future ones).

[zambonir]

Wild story if you're willing to subscribe (this is the sight all the really good writers from late-period Deadspin started)

https://defector.com/my-white-whale-is-the-story-of-an-mlb-veteran-paying-his-teammates-to-get-vaccinated/

[BostonRoss]

Yeah, it would end up in court. I do wonder whether it would have made a difference if the renegotiation wasn’t so imminent.

[zambonir]

Bettman says only four NHL players unvaccinated

[bkox]

Well.. maybe 5...

The NHL has suspended San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane for 21 games for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

[julio]

Well.. maybe 5...

The NHL has suspended San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane for 21 games for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

Are there laws concerning use of counterfeit vaccination cards? If there are, Kane should be turned over to law enforcement, and prosecuted. Set a proper example.

EDIT: It would seem that, in California at least, it is a crime to produce or use a counterfeit “official document.”

https://ktla.com/news/california/california-ag-dont-buy-or-print-fake-covid-19-vaccination-cards/

Book him, Danno.

[zambonir]

Yeah I think there is a federal law as well, specifically for medical stuff.

Washington State's unvaccinated football coach finally fired today (after his religous exemption request, which was a double-blind process). For cause, no buyout. Four assistants too.

Of course he was the highest-paid state employee.

Washington State coach Nick Rolovich, four assistants fired for cause over...

[LoneStarPhan]

I read today that Canada will not admit persons not fully vaccinated for COVID. Look for roster shuffles for teams toing to play the Blue Jays. Phillies dates in Canada are July 12 and 13. We will see who is vaccinated and who is not.

[phillychuck]

It would be pretty strange if Canada is still enforcing this in July. I thought the Phils were pretty much fully vaxxed anyway.