Major League Baseball in 2021

[Docwaukee]

15 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

The NFL is still going in December when cases are at their height. I see no reason MLB will have serious issues. 

that's the difference.  they're already going   

 

[totdprods]

I’d imagine a huge holdup is the logistics on whether teams will be stuck in-division again.

Travel might be just as questionable as fans being in stadiums, depending on local concerns and outbreaks. 

It could also be holding up free agency. If you’re a player rooted in the East or Midwest, you might not want to sign up out west and have a scenario come into play where you’re in that time zone for half the year and your family is unable to fly out.

While I would think we are hopefully more ‘open’ by then, I don’t think it is guaranteed yet. 

[ScottT]

 

 

[ScottT]

Unsurprisingly, sounds similar to getting the 2020 season started. Owners know fans will be limited for a while. Players want to get theirs.

All players and staff getting vaccine in time to start in may sounds unrealistic 

[Second Base]

99.7%

[Inside Pitch]

Aaaaaaand so it starts...     Get ready for more squabbling about length of season, playoff game money, and a June start.

[Docwaukee]

14 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Aaaaaaand so it starts...     Get ready for more squabbling about length of season, playoff game money, and a June start.

yep.  As expected.  This one might end up in a strike or lockout.  

[Pancake Bear]

Delays are gonna get ownership some nasty press. Especially after the success (in the eyes of fans) of 2020, and the fact that actual contact sports (NFL, NHL, and to some degree NBA) made it through as well, even in Winter. And NFL has much larger rosters as well. Their excuses will look really petty. Maybe they don't give a crap, but it isn't going to set them up well for the CBA negotiations after the season if they screw this up. Knowing their typical MO, they definitely will screw it up. 

[Warfarin]

This is why I suspect we won't see much activity at all on the free agency market for awhile.

I'd say it's very likely we see another shortened season - perhaps around 120 games or so, with a start time sometime in mid-May.

The owners may say it's about players' health and getting vaccinated, but really, their concern is the mass public getting vaccinated and being allowed back into stadiums.

I work in the healthcare industry, and May seems to be a realistic time frame for the public to gain access to the vaccine.  I would imagine that would be the target for ownership, so they can at least have, say, 25% capacity at their stadiums to start, and maybe full capacity by seasons' end.

[Lou]

With the uncertainty of minor league baseball being played, I can see an increase in players signing internationally. 

[Tank]

21 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Aaaaaaand so it starts...     Get ready for more squabbling about length of season, playoff game money, and a June start.

[Hubs]

MLB could easily buy 10,000 or so dosesof the vaccines if they wanted with little problem. It’s not a Large number and they could vaccinate all players in majors and minors, and all coaches etc.

But, that’s not gonna get butts in seats and they’re not gonna fill stadiums. Players are not going to play for partial salaries if they have 162 game season. So they want To shorten it again, and get fans back in seats.

 

[Docwaukee]

40 minutes ago, Hubs said:

MLB could easily buy 10,000 or so dosesof the vaccines if they wanted with little problem. It’s not a Large number and they could vaccinate all players in majors and minors, and all coaches etc.

But, that’s not gonna get butts in seats and they’re not gonna fill stadiums. Players are not going to play for partial salaries if they have 162 game season. So they want To shorten it again, and get fans back in seats.

 

the players likely care about getting fans back but what they really want is their full salary for 162 games whether fans are there or not.  The owners don't want games without fans because they make was less money.  

Watching them squabble over 20 games is going to be painful and a really bad optic for both sides.  

[Pancake Bear]

1 minute ago, Dochalo said:

Watching them squabble over 20 games is going to be painful and a really bad optic for both sides.  

Already seen that movie. Wasn't expecting or looking forward to a sequel.

It's especially bad when other leagues - who actually have legit potential issues - zoomed through with only minor issues by comparison. 

[kevinb]

On 12/15/2020 at 10:58 AM, Inside Pitch said:

Aaaaaaand so it starts...     Get ready for more squabbling about length of season, playoff game money, and a June start.

Football is playing a full schedule baseball could barely get off their ass last season, and that’s why they are king of the sports world. If I was a betting man I’d wager they play a similar amount of games as last year maybe a handful more but there’s no way baseball plays all 162. 

[Stradling]

7 hours ago, Kevinb said:

Football is playing a full schedule baseball could barely get off their ass last season, and that’s why they are king of the sports world. If I was a betting man I’d wager they play a similar amount of games as last year maybe a handful more but there’s no way baseball plays all 162. 

Football is once a week, baseball is daily.  There’s a huge difference in that. 

[Angel Oracle]

On 12/13/2020 at 6:30 PM, Dochalo said:

I'm fairly doubtful that fans will be back at the games in full force. Even if they allow it.  Which I don't think will happen right away so my guess is that there will be another battle between the owners and players about what else.  Money.  I think that's why everything is being left undecided at this point because they holding it all back as potential bargaining chips.  

I think they'll ultimately play a full season but not in front of fans the whole time.  I bet we keep the universal DH and expanded playoffs.  

This, except I can see them starting around mid-late April for a 144 game season like in 1995.

Hopefully, MiLB will have a season starting closer to May 1.

[Angel Oracle]

50 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Football is once a week, baseball is daily.  There’s a huge difference in that. 

And football had the benefit of being a fall sport, when restrictions were loosened.

[kevinb]

3 hours ago, Stradling said:

Football is once a week, baseball is daily.  There’s a huge difference in that. 

Sure. But they’re a contact sport with more players they got rules and regulations. Baseball could be one series a week. Cut the season down. No one needs 162 games of it. Start the season on time. Do 3 or 4 game series once a week rinse wash test go to the next week. Season fixed. 

[kevinb]

3 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

And football had the benefit of being a fall sport, when restrictions were loosened.

San Francisco begs to differ. They’ve had loosened regulations and lock down regulations. There’s no national anything. State by state and city by city. Florida and Arizona are open California not so much. 49ers are playing in Arizona. They’ve adapted. 

[Stradling]

3 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

Sure. But they’re a contact sport with more players they got rules and regulations. Baseball could be one series a week. Cut the season down. No one needs 162 games of it. Start the season on time. Do 3 or 4 game series once a week rinse wash test go to the next week. Season fixed. 

Yuck

[Stradling]

If you are going to shorten the season you don’t do it by having them play one series a week.   You shorten it by shortening the length of the season. 

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

If you are going to shorten the season you don’t do it by having them play one series a week.   You shorten it by shortening the length of the season. 

Which is starting it at a point of the season where the weather warms up (May 1?).

[AngelsLakersFan]

5 hours ago, Stradling said:

Football is once a week, baseball is daily.  There’s a huge difference in that. 

The big difference is the NFL derives a far higher percentage of its revenue from television than MLB does.

[Stradling]

9 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

The big difference is the NFL derives a far higher percentage of its revenue from television than MLB does.

Yep.  Its mostly National TV revenue. MLB is much more dependent on local tv revenue and attendance.