2020 MLB Season Thread

[100% pro-life no matter what]

MLB owners approve a proposal that has the season starting around the 4th of July weekend. The proposal includes making the DH universal, expanding the playoffs by 2 teams per league to make it 14 total/7 per league, active rosters increased from 26 to 30-- with a 20-man reserve roster due to the likelihood of no minor league games, most stadiums will host their team's games without fans, Spring Training 2.0 likely won't have games being played, and an 82-game schedule meaning that teams will only play their own division and their corresponding division in the other league (NL Central teams will play other teams in that division and AL Central teams only).


Jeff Passan at ESPN.com:

Major League Baseball owners approved a proposal that commissioner Rob Manfred plans to present to players Tuesday on a return-to-play scenario that aims to have baseball back in home stadiums by early July, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

The meeting between MLB and the MLB Players Association on Tuesday will set the stage for what both parties expect to be a contentious negotiation. While MLB could benefit long term from being the first American team sport to return amid the coronavirus pandemic, the logistics of starting the season remain convoluted and require player support.



[...]



The season could start on Fourth of July weekend with games around the country in home stadiums. The intradivision-heavy schedule would be to limit travel -- with teams possibly traveling by bus to nearby cities.

Spring training likely would not include any games, as teams could get ready for the season at their home stadiums. The 50 players available would be a mixture of major leaguers and top minor league players, with the minor league season in jeopardy.

They also said that the Blue Jays might have to play at their Spring Training facility in Bradenton, Florida, due to quarantine-related issues in crossing the US-Canada border.

I also wonder if part of the reason for going with the home stadiums, rather than 1-3 hubs is out of a hope that a limited number of fans will be allowed at some point in the season (I think some Asian leagues are currently talking about that model).

[100% pro-life no matter what]

A little early to be making predictions (especially since the season can still theoretically be canceled), but I'll take a whack at it.

AL East:

1st New York Yankees: 53-7 (The Yankees are far and away the best team in the division, and the only trouble they'll have is with injuries)

2nd: Tampa Bay Rays:  40-20 (The Rays are the second strongest team in the division, but that has more to do with the weakness of the division than their strength. Much of their playoff chances will depend on just how far Tyler Glasnow has come from his arm injury)

3rd: Boston Red Sox: 32-28 (The Red Sox are beginning a rebuilding era. Mookie Betts's trade and Chris Sale's injury puts paid to any chance of the Red Sox making the playoffs. Don't be shocked if they trade Rafael Devers if it looks like they are out of contention at the deadline)

4th: Toronto Blue Jays: 26-34 (Outside of the Yankees and Rays, the Blue Jays are the team in the AL East most likely to make the playoffs, because of their young core. However, other than Hyun-jin Ryu, they have practically no pitching staff)

5th: Baltimore Orioles: 4-56 (The Orioles easily could go 0-60 in this format, as it's rather clear they aren't even trying to put a competitive team on the field)

AL Central

1st: Chicago White Sox: 41-19 (I honestly think the AL Central is going to be really close the whole way. Chicago probably has the edge based on their ability to make trades and probably being more willing to do so than their closest rivals, Cleveland and Minnesota)

2nd: Minnesota Twins: 40-20 (The Twins dramatically overachieved in 2019, largely because of the home run. They certainly can make the playoffs again, as they made a very shrewd offseason signing in Josh Donaldson. Still, between them and Tampa for that second Wild Card spot, Tampa will probably win on tiebreakers...a procedure which will be drastically different this year, admittedly)

3rd: Cleveland Indians: 39-21 (The Indians are also beginning a rebuilding phase. However, unlike the Red Sox, they have enough talent on the roster for one more run at a playoff spot)

4th: Kansas City Royals: Kansas City Royals: 15-45 (The Royals are at least a year or two away from competing from a playoff spot, and it wouldn't stun me if they traded Whit Merrifield either)

5th: Detroit Tigers: 0-60 (Like the Orioles, the Tigers are very capable of going 0-60 this season, and it won't shock me if they do so. The big question is, will Miguel Cabrera get to 3,000 hits this season. He needs 185, which is close to impossible in a 60 game season, as he'd need to average just over three a game...but it is doable.)

AL West

1st: Houston Astros: 54-6 (Even without Gerrit Cole, the Astros are the favorites in the AL West. It'll be interesting to see how many of their hitters get hit by pitches this season after the scandal)

2nd: Los Angeles Angels: 42-18 (The Angels have no pitching, which will hurt them in October, but their offense will get them to October)

3rd: Oakland Athletics: 37-23 (The A's would probably do quite a bit worse if this was a full 162 game season, but in a shortened season, they can make a run at a playoff spot)

4th: Texas Rangers: 30-30 (The Rangers also would probably do significantly worse in full 162 game season, but in a short season, they are good enough to play .500 ball)

5th: Seattle Mariners: 2-48 (The last of the AL teams not trying to win. Seattle might look to move players like Dee Gordon, Kyle Seager and Mitch Haniger in trades)

Wild Card Round

Tampa Rays defeat Los Angeles Angels

ALDS

Houston Astros defeat Tampa Bay Rays in 4
New York Yankees defeat Chicago White Sox in 4

ALCS

New York Yankees defeat Houston Astros in 7

NL East

1st: Atlanta Braves: 45-15 (I wouldn't be shocked if Roland Acuna Jr. is the NL MVP this year)

2nd: Washington Nationals: 45-15 (The Nationals lose the division to the Braves on a tiebreaker, but easily claim a wild card spot. They also should be considered one of the overall favorites in the National League)

3rd: Philadelphia Phillies: 43-17 (The Phillies have a strong enough roster that they dramatically underachieved last season. That will change this season)

4th: New York Mets: 21-39 (I could easily see the Mets doing at least 10-15 games worse than this, but this is the record the talent on the roster should get)

5th: Miami Marlins: 0-60 (When was the last time the Marlins seriously tried to win games?)

NL Central

1st: St. Louis Cardinals 42-18 (The Cardinals are favored, but this is a weak division)

2nd: Chicago Cubs: 34-26 (The Cubs playoff window has closed, and the rebuilding era has begun)

3rd: Milwaukee Brewers: 33-27 (The Brewers got very lucky to get a Wild Card berth last year, and I think this record is closer to what their level of talent actually is)

4th: Cincinnati Reds: 29-31 (The Reds could win the division, or they could finish 15 games under .500. Their probability outcome range is quite wide)

5th: Pittsburgh Pirates: 7-53 (I'll give Pittsburgh credit, they are trying to put a competitive team on the field. Unfortunately, you need to spend money to do that, and they aren't spending money)

NL West

1st: Los Angeles Dodgers: 58-2 (Their only hole might be their pitching staff, and that can be covered up. Also, they did great work fleecing Boston for Mookie Betts, and if he resigns there, they have the wonderful luxury of four starting outfielders (Betts, Joc Pedersen, Cody Bellinger and A.J Pollock) for three spots.)

2nd: San Diego Padres 36-24 (Good enough to contend for a Wild Card, not quite good enough to win the Wild Card spot...at least not with pulling off a big trade. Maybe next year?)

3rd: Colorado Rockies: 25-35 (No real pitching, as usual, but having Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon makes for a pretty good offense)

4th: Arizona Diamondbacks: 10-50 (Arizona isn't really trying to put together a competitive team this year. The big story for them will be whether Madison Bumgarner is registered as a two-way player this year (he can in fact, hit and is one of the better hitting pitchers in the league...it makes sense to register him as a pitcher/DH just for that reason.)

5th: San Francisco Giants: 9-51 (The Giants also aren't seriously trying to win. The big story for them is Buster Posey's pursuit of 1,500 hits. He's 120 hits away, which is difficult in a 60 game season, as he'd need to average two hits a game, but it is doable.)

Wild Card Game

Nationals Defeat Phillies

NLDS

Dodgers defeat Nationals in 5

Braves defeat Cardinals in 5

NLCS

Dodgers defeat Braves in 4

World Series

Dodgers defeat Yankees in 7

There won't be 19 teams with either fewer than 20 or more than 40 wins.  Nor will there be any teams (most likely) with 50 wins or losses.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Canada has denied the Blue Jays permission to play there this season.

https://apnews.com/72e93f0780cad703e4d6bd1d47ed2aef

I've heard speculation about them playing in their AAA park in Buffalo.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The Marlins & Orioles will face off tomorrow as the first-place teams in the NL & AL East...

What a f**king world we live in. Then again, the more I think about it, the more 2020 just feels like a Marlins World Series type of year.

How's this for a crazy stat:

Marlins Days After 7/1 in Sole Possession of 1st in the NL East: 0
Marlins World Series Championships: 2

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I would say my opinion on asymptomatic athletes testing positive, but I would be crucified here for it.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

It has to be noted here that the San Francisco Giants are most days playing Chadwick Tromp and Hunter Pence.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2020/08/20/ny-mets-game-vs-florida-marlins-postponed-due-covid-case-mets/5618620002/

Mets/Marlins will be postponed because of a positive COVID case on the Mets.

Well, I hope they didn't give it to us!

The Marlins have herd immunity at this point

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Imagine telling Rangers fans a year ago that the 2020 World Series would be clinched in Arlington in the inaugural year of their new ballpark:

https://twitter.com/patmcafeeshow/status/1299376106269741057

That's just stupid, Why have AL playoffs in NL cities and vice versa?

I'm more miffed that they didn't consider New York, given you know...we have two stadiums in the same city.

A bubble would actually work here.

With them having to play multiple games a day in these stadiums in the early rounds, they didn't want to risk rainouts and the like.  The Texas stadiums have roofs, and it rarely rains in October in Southern California.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The Braves just scored 11 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.

The game wound up being the first ever MLB game to finish 29-9, marking the first time in 21 years that a never-before-seen final score was recorded.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The Central divisions went a combined 0-7 in the Wild Card Round.  That brings up an interesting point of why the expanded playoffs were so important.  This season, the MLB was, practically speaking, 3 separate leagues (East, Central, and West), with no cross over, so we had no way of comparing region to region in the regular season.  There were three objectively terrible teams in the Central pod, arguably the three worst teams in baseball this season.  That allowed the other 7 to get into the playoffs even though the postseason results suggest that the Central teams were probably all overrated.  The Yankees, Astros, and Marlins all won series even though they would have missed the playoffs with a normal format at the expense of extra teams from the Central.

The AL Top 8 wound up being pretty cut and dry, so I doubt it would have changed, but the Giants and Phillies have real gripes that maybe they would have had a better record than some of the Central teams if a normal schedule was played.  But, the point of the expanded playoffs was to counteract that, so no one can say they weren't given a shot.