2021 MLB Season Thread

[JGibson]

The 2021 MLB season is coming shortly with Spring Training and hopefully a 162-game regular season.

Fans in attendance will be limited in stadiums, if they are allowed by the relevant jurisdictions (national, state, county, and city), at least to start the season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 World Series by defeating Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 2 in the COVID-shortened season.


Will the Dodgers defend their World Series crown?

Will the Los Angeles Dodgers keep their run of NL West titles going, or will the Padres or another team end that streak?
Will the Rays maintain the AL East crown?
Will the scandal-tarred Houston Astros get their comeuppance by opposing fans that they didn't really get last year due to COVID restrictions preventing fans from entering stadiums?
Who will be the AL and NL MVPs? Stay tuned.
Will this likely be the final year of a DH-free NL (per reports)?







2020: https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=358637.0

[JGibson]

For the 1st time since 2013, no players will be inducted to the Hall Of Fame. Curt Schilling was the closest at 71.1%.


https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1354208372963291139

[JGibson]

3B Nolan Arenado is headed to the Cardinals in a trade with the Rockies.

[JGibson]

After the MLBPA rejected a proposal from the MLB for a delayed start to the season with a 154-game schedule, the MLB season plans to proceed as normal with a 162-game schedule and likely no universal DH.


Bleacher Report:

Major League Baseball announced Monday night that it intends to start spring training and the 2021 regular season on time after the MLB Players Association rejected a proposal for a revised schedule.

"In light of the MLBPA’s rejection of our proposal, and their refusal to counter our revised offer this afternoon," MLB said in a statement. "We are moving forward and instructing our Clubs to report for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Championship Season, subject to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols."

[...]

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Monday the MLBPA was likely to reject MLB's proposal "and might not even counter." The union might be amenable to the universal designated hitter or expanded playoffs but consider it too late to change the 2021 schedule.

[JGibson]

Pitchers and Catchers reporting season begins this week.

[JGibson]

It's here. Pitchers and catchers are reporting.

[JGibson]

Padres SS Fernando Tatís Jr. has agreed to a 14-year/$340M contract extension.

ESPN:

Fernando Tatis Jr., the emerging face of baseball, agreed to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, securing one of the largest guarantees in American sports history and wedding himself to the team with which he quickly established himself as a star, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN.

Tatis, 22, will receive the third-biggest deal in baseball history -- and do so at a far younger age than Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, both of whom signed their megadeals at 27.

The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Tatis, whose dazzling shortstop play is perhaps exceeded by his prowess at the plate, went to San Diego via trade and is now the player around whom the Padres will build a team equipped to win a championship.

[JGibson]

Albert Pujols is set to retire at the end of this season, per his wife Deidre's Instagram.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1364009457873653761

UPDATE: Diedre later clarified that the post was not an official retirement announcement.

[JGibson]

It's basically official: NO DH in the NL and no expanded postseason this season.

[JGibson]

The MLB season is coming before you know it.

MLB: The Show will be on XBox for the 1st time ever on April 20th.

[JGibson]

With one day to go before Opening Day, Francisco Lindor will be staying a Met, as he signed a 10-year extension worth $341 million.

ESPN:

The New York Mets and shortstop Francisco Lindor have agreed to a 10-year, $341 million deal, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Wednesday.

Lindor's deal will be the third largest based on total value in major league history, trailing only the deals for the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout ($426.5 million) and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts ($365 million).

[JGibson]

Reds RF Nicholas Castellanos instigated a brawl in yesterday's game between the Cards and Reds. He got ejected from the game. This isn't the first flare-up between the two sides (see Phillips v. Yadi in 2010).

[JGibson]

The 2021 MLB All-Star Game (and its associated festivities) and the 2021 MLB Draft will now be in Denver, Colorado at Coors Field. 


Dayn Perry at CBS Sports:

The 2021 MLB All-Star Game is expected to be held in Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. The game is scheduled for July 13.

MLB recently chose to pull the festivities from Truist Park in Atlanta as a gesture of protest over the recent passage of voting laws in Georgia. Those laws are widely perceived to be too restrictive and particularly burdensome toward Black voters. Coors Field previously hosted the All-Star Game in 1998.

[JGibson]

The 2nd no-hitter of the season happened tonight, as White Sox LHP Carlos Rodón no-hit the Cleveland Baseball Team 6-0. He was 2 outs away from a perfect game.

[JGibson]

Orioles LHP John Means is the 3rd pitcher to throw a no-no this season in the MLB. 

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1390065282761334784?s=19

[JGibson]

Albert Pujols DFA.

Disgraceful
Extremely disrespectful

Agreed. What do y'all think happens now? Does he just retire now? Maybe sign with a foreign league?

I'd love to see him on the Cardinals one last time before retirement, just for nostalgia's sake like what Ichiro did.

[JGibson]

Could the days of the A's being based in Oakland be ending soon? The A's are considering relocation out of  the Bay Area, and that could impact the division alignment, depending on where they would end up.


MLB.com:

Concerned about a lack of progress in their efforts to privately finance a new state-of-the-art ballpark in downtown Oakland, the A’s have begun actively pursuing relocation.

The decision comes after Major League Baseball issued a statement on Monday instructing the A’s to explore other markets as they continue to pursue their proposed waterfront ballpark near Howard Terminal in Oakland.

"MLB is concerned with the rate of progress on the A's new ballpark effort with local officials and other stakeholders in Oakland," the league’s statement said. "The A's have worked very hard to advance a new ballpark in downtown Oakland for the last four years, investing significant resources while facing multiple roadblocks. We know they remain deeply committed to succeeding in Oakland, and with two other sports franchises recently leaving the community, their commitment to Oakland is now more important than ever.”

[JGibson]

Tigers RHP Spencer Turnbull is the 5th MLB pitcher to throw a no-no, as he no-hitted the Mariners 5-0.


MLB.com:

Right-hander Spencer Turnbull made history on Tuesday night, throwing the eighth no-hitter in Tigers history and the fifth in the Majors this season in a 5-0 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

Turnbull walked just two batters -- rookie Jarred Kelenic to lead off the fourth inning and José Marmolejos leading off the ninth -- in the 50th start of his career. The 28-year-old Turnbull, who took a Major League-high 17 losses in 2019, spun Detroit's first no-hitter since Justin Verlander threw the second of his career on May 7, 2011.

[JGibson]

Any MLB player caught with foreign substances will get a 10-day suspension, effective June 21.

ESPN:

Major League Baseball is expected to announce Tuesday that it will suspend players caught with any foreign substance for 10 days with pay to help curtail the widespread use of grip enhancers by pitchers around the league, sources familiar with the plans told ESPN.

The league is expected to distribute a memo to teams -- which have been briefed on the broad strokes of the policy change -- that outlines its plans to penalize all players caught by umpires with any foreign substance on their person, from the widely used sunscreen-and-rosin combination to Spider Tack, an industrial glue that has become a favorite among pitchers who want to generate more spin on the ball.

[JGibson]

The 2021 Home Run Derby field is set:
#1 Shohei Ohtani, DH/RHP, LAA (32 HR) v. #8 Juan Soto, RF, WSH (11 HR)
#2 Joey Gallo, RF, TEX (23 HR) v. #7 Trevor Story, SS, COL (11 HR)
#3 Matt Olson, 1B, OAK (21 HR) v. #6 Trey Mancini, 1B/DH, BAL (15 HR)
#4 Salvador Pérez, C, KC (20 HR) v. #5 Pete Alonso, 1B, NYM (15 HR, defending champion [2019]) 

[JGibson]

Mets 1B Pete Alonso repeats as the Home Run Derby champ, as he hit 23 in the final round and 74 in total.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1414777951854399492

https://twitter.com/MLBStats/status/1414778791780659205

[JGibson]

Manfred has been making some noises over the last few days that the seven inning doubleheaders and the Manfredball extras might not be returning next year. That being said he also sounded very flaky and said a lot of stuff like “oh it’s not a priority but MLBPA might push for it” etc. Might be less of a sincere commitment and more an attempt to use it as a lightning rod to direct fan dissatisfaction to the MLBPA instead of him. Still, somewhat promising.

I'd keep the runners on second in extra innings.

Seven inning double headers have to go though.

Agree with getting rid of the 7-inning doubleheader rule (it robbed two no-hitters). As for the extra inning runner on second rule, keep it but move it to the beginning of the 12th and onwards as to when it takes effect.

[JGibson]

As of July 30th, the Toronto Blue Jays make a return to their home stadium in Toronto, ON, Canada. The Blue Jays have had to relocate to Buffalo, NY and Dunedin, FL due to US/Canada Border travel restrictions for non-essential travel over the past year-plus.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1416168132473991169

[JGibson]

Cardinals blew yet another lead to the Pirates. If the Cards miss the playoffs, Mike Shildt needs to be pink-slipped!

[JGibson]

At this point Giants will be lucky to win 90 games. Just a complete implosion the past ~3 weeks.

Literally one of the worst teams I have ever seen. Will go into the Dodgers series behind by a game, leave it down by 4, and then watch as the wild card fades to San Diego and Cincy as well. Absolutely shameful.

And possibly the Cardinals too.


The postseason roster eligibility deadline has struck, as has the beginning of the active roster expansion to 28 (IMO, it should be up to 30 or 32).