then coronavirus happened, 2020 baseball

"the only thing that's firm" is your best-case scenario. That's it in a nutshell.

Baseball has always just been so pitiless. Why else would players play an insane 162-game season with like 1 day off per week? Just squeeze the players for everything.

There was an article on ESPN about E-Rod's myocarditis that was written entirely around the question of 'When do you think you can pitch again, Eduardo?' If you get hurt in baseball, it's regarded as weakness. And then they forget about you.

agreed in general but

Why else would players play an insane 162-game season with like 1 day off per week?

because it's fun! I miss playing baseball.

if there were an abundance of caution, there wouldn't be a season. wonder if the nats just opt-out en masse if mlb makes them go to miami

meanwhile, patrick mahomes has joined the royals ownership group

oh it's fun for the fans, certainly :)

yes the "abundance of caution" line.. my god

I think it's fun for the players, too. I'm not saying it's not a grind or they don't relish off days—but I think *most* players enjoy and look forward to playing as often as they do.

Phillies under this plan would return to play Friday against the Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park - as the visiting team (under a previous plan due to Jays’ inability to play in Canada). Team would be isolated until then, not technically quarantined. https://t.co/Np6OcS3o6h

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2020

mlbtr:

The current plan is for the Marlins to be held out from playing until “at least” next Monday, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Incorporating doubleheaders and making use of some off-days could help to make up ground in the schedule, although with only a week’s worth of off-days worked into the existing schedule, there are some potential pitfalls with that approach as well.

maybe every team should only have one another team they play, a 55-game series, and then at the end there's a banquest for the 15 world champions, in Buffalo

OTHER / BANQUET

Confirming the @AdamSpolane report the Astros are set to sign 43-year-old Fernando Rodney from the Sugar Land Skeeters, pending physical. They desperately need some bullpen experience, and he has it.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 28, 2020

they would be his 12th mlb team

I know the players tend to gripe a bit at the end of the season ("everyone's hurt in the playoffs" is a line I hear a lot) but I don't think the 162-game season is all that bad, IMO the NBA and NFL have bigger problems with the "too many games" thing. when I played softball I tried to play as many days of the week as I could.

MLB statement... pic.twitter.com/zJ681SwLsp

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2020

ok fine about the 162 games but MLB is still utterly pitiless

The difficult circumstances of one Club

did anyone else sort of stop taking the season seriously yesterday

hard to look at this like "real" baseball when games are getting cancelled and it feels like the other shoe's gonna drop any minute

I stopped before it started

i stopped saturday when i noticed fox's cgi fans in the outfield bleachers at dodger stadium

i'm old school dodger stadium fan - i prefer the cardboard cutouts with the really obnoxiously wide bright white borders

Hope Tupac, Dio, and wacko Jacko make it to the stadium too

Maybe they can figure out a way to green screen the field and everybody can play from home

The experience of listening to the game on the radio isn’t too different from 2019, although it seems every home stadium has a different level of obnoxiousness for their fake cheers.

If season is interrupted or delayed, March agreement states players will receive prorated pay only for the number of games their teams actually play. However, the union asked the league to make an exception for WAS, PHI and NYY, and the league agreed. Has not discussed Marlins. https://t.co/87gkycphmf

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2020

What am I missing? Why those three?

their games were postponed because of you know what

the Marlins are the ones who ruined this for everyone, they should be penalized

Another Marlins player has tested positive for COVID-19, sources tell The Athletic. Only positive result in most recent tests. Brings team total to 16 players and two coaches.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2020

Have the marlins actually been that worse than the other teams - or have they just had worse luck?
Because so far it looks like most teams are doing a pretty halfassed job at following the guidelines.

the marlins have been a competitive integrity problem for several years; i'm not sure that this situation is really a lot worse. it is pretty striking how these teams all have 60-man pools and are still scouring the waiver wire and signing 43-year-old relievers. it's rough when your starters are only built up to 75 pitches!

Fifteen Marlins players have tested positive for COVID-19.

Scouts say their top prospects aren't ready for the majors, and there aren't many veterans at their alternate site camp.

On MLB's looming competitive integrity problem.https://t.co/hVVV63WsBK

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) July 29, 2020

how inevitable is it that this happens to another team, one that might actually make the playoffs in fact

hmmm, that sounds like a real question. better to keep our thinking in the realm of the magical, where things cannot and should not be explained, where things go away on their own

I am not superstitious (ok, I lied, I totally am) but I wonder if this is the Marlins curse of removing the Homer sculpture from the outfield to outside of the stadium.

we might need a separate thread for CEO Jeter's defensive press releases

tbf, defense hasn't been his strong suit in quite a long time

thats a bingo

Nats superstar Juan Soto after 5 negative tests has been cleared by MLB but was still waiting on OK from DC government before returning to play. Could come soon, but uncertain at moment.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 29, 2020

5 tests? Gonna have a deviated septum at this point

nick markakis is opting back *in*

nick markakis is on a long con to create the least enthusiastic 3000th hit celebration in baseball history

it's kind of fitting that the standings don't seem to work on mlb.com or the At Bat app. even if I feel the urge to check to see how everyone's doing it, it's a subtle reminder that no, it's not even worth bothering

Five negative tests? If he tested positive what seems like just a week ago, how did it leave so quickly? I'm missing something in terms of the timeline.

maybe tested positive on the last day he was positive for it

eight-game suspension for joe kelly

weird, no suspension for carlos correa

Kelly is a mediocre pitcher at best who trades on a tiresome, undeserved tough guy act. Shut the hell up and strike them out.

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) July 29, 2020

really can't stand the guy but props

would like to see a lot more of it before the season ends next week tbh

i don't know if he's changed since his cardinal days, but back then he was known as lighthearted funnyman joe kelly, a pitcher with great velocity and mediocre results, but who also would dance in the dugout and make jokes. i haven't seen him act like that before, is that something he does a lot now? maybe he's roided up

There is a reliever on the Rockies whose name is I shit you not: Carlos Estévez

How is his nickname not "Wild Thing"?

too much pitchability

xxp yeah he was kind of a douchey antagonist in the A.L.