MLB Team affected by Covid, getting in the whole season

[bighat]

Before the season started, I was wondering about what would happen if the virus started spreading like wildfire in a clubhouse. Well here we are. The Marlins have registered 14 total cases in recent days and their home opener against Baltimore has been cancelled. There's talk of perhaps the Phillies/Yankees game being cancelled as well, as the Phillies are coming off a 3-game series against Miami.

 

Patrick Reusse's take should come as no surprise to those who have read his columns over the years:

 

 

 

[bighat]

Update: Yanks/Phillies has indeed been cancelled.

[Vanimal46]

I’m disappointed to learn that the decision to play yesterday’s game was left up to the manager Don Mattingly and the players. That is a big mistake on the MLB’s part. The decision should not be left to competitive players to play a game that day.

 

The Yankees-Phillies game is also postponed today so they can sanitize the hell out of the locker room the Marlins just used.

[TouchEmAllGuy]

Here we go...

[Craig Arko]

 

Here we go...

More like there we went...

[Brock Beauchamp]

I’m disappointed to learn that the decision to play yesterday’s game was left up to the manager Don Mattingly and the players. That is a big mistake on the MLB’s part. The decision should not be left to competitive players to play a game that day.

 

The Yankees-Phillies game is also postponed today so they can sanitize the hell out of the locker room the Marlins just used.

The fact no one in Marlins leadership, from Jeter to Mattingly, put a stop to games this weekend is embarrassing.

 

They’re division rivals and can make up the games with relative ease. There was NO excuse for what happened.

 

Can anyone imagine a well run franchise like the Rays, Twins, Yankees, or Dodgers making the same decision?

[bighat]

 

The fact no one in Marlins leadership, from Jeter to Mattingly, put a stop to games this weekend is embarrassing.
 

The fact that it's the Marlins, of all teams, that's putting the season in jeopardy should come as no surprise.

 

In their defense, the fact that Miami is one of the hottest Covid-19 places on the planet is not their fault. But still.

 

[rdehring]

Can understand cancelling today's game, but would hope that tomorrow should be played. Like all teams, the Marlins have another 30 guys waiting in the wings like the Twins have in St. Paul. Let them play a few games while the Marlins sort out who is available from their active 30.

 

Expect the first adjustment to this season that is needed is teams having the freedom to move players on and off the 30 man roster without concern for options, 40-man, etc. Let them have 60 players available with 30 on the active roster. If they can't make that adjustment, the season is doomed! Would hope the MLPA could agree to something like that as the alternative could be no season.

 

[TouchEmAllGuy]

@rdehring great points. roster moves this year should not function the same as normal years. Especially when COVID related.

[Squirrel]

 

The fact that it's the Marlins, of all teams, that's putting the season in jeopardy should come as no surprise.

 

In their defense, the fact that Miami is one of the hottest Covid-19 places on the planet is not their fault. But still.

 

Exactly why they shouldn't have played and have been even more cautious ... 

[PDX Twin]

Beginning of the end, just at the end of the beginning.

[Squirrel]

I was asking some of these 'in the event of' questions over a month ago ... I guess we'll now see what will happen. My point over a month ago was a logistics feasibility type question because of how spreadable this disease is. Yikes ... glad games have been cancelled ... but not sure how this will work into the season.

[Squirrel]

Maybe MLB should just excise the eastern leagues for this season ... 

[D. Hocking]

 

Maybe MLB should just excise the eastern leagues for this season ... 

 

That would be one way for the Twins to get passed the Yankees in the play-offs.

[bighat]

 

Can understand cancelling today's game, but would hope that tomorrow should be played. Like all teams, the Marlins have another 30 guys waiting in the wings like the Twins have in St. Paul. Let them play a few games while the Marlins sort out who is available from their active 30.

 

Expect the first adjustment to this season that is needed is teams having the freedom to move players on and off the 30 man roster without concern for options, 40-man, etc. Let them have 60 players available with 30 on the active roster. If they can't make that adjustment, the season is doomed! Would hope the MLPA could agree to something like that as the alternative could be no season.

 

Totally agree. MLB should have a "Covid Clause". If a player tests positive for Covid-19, they can be replaced without those moves counting against roster space.

 

IMO if the league/Marlins take decisive action they should be able to play as soon as tomorrow.

 

I am sure there are at least 30 professional players in the Marlins organization who do not have Covid-19. Get those guys in a safe place, test them twice, and play ball. I know it sounds heartless but for the league to work this year, this is what has to happen.

[Shaitan]

 

Can understand cancelling today's game, but would hope that tomorrow should be played. Like all teams, the Marlins have another 30 guys waiting in the wings like the Twins have in St. Paul. Let them play a few games while the Marlins sort out who is available from their active 30.

 

Expect the first adjustment to this season that is needed is teams having the freedom to move players on and off the 30 man roster without concern for options, 40-man, etc. Let them have 60 players available with 30 on the active roster. If they can't make that adjustment, the season is doomed! Would hope the MLPA could agree to something like that as the alternative could be no season.

Changing 40-man rules would have a huge impact on contracts (MLB vs MiLB etc). Not against it. But it's a big roadblock. They'll figure it out. They have billions of dollars of legal counsel on retainer.

[bighat]

[Vanimal46]

https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/miami-marlins-coronavirus-outbreak-phillies-mlb-season-20200727.html

 

Major League Baseball issued a 113-page operations manual to all club employees before the start of the season. It outlines everything from on-field rules to testing procedures and what happens if a player tests positive. But Sunday afternoon, the status of the game amid a coronavirus outbreak was decided by a group text-message between Marlins players.

 

Embarrassing.

[jimbo92107]

I've heard of Rainouts, but now we've got Plagueouts. At this rate the league will just have whatever teams can fill a roster play whoever else can fill a roster. Championship goes to the last team that can fill a roster.

[Nine of twelve]

 

Can understand cancelling today's game, but would hope that tomorrow should be played. Like all teams, the Marlins have another 30 guys waiting in the wings like the Twins have in St. Paul. Let them play a few games while the Marlins sort out who is available from their active 30.

 

It's more than just their active 30. It also means deactivating anyone who was in their clubhouse and/or dugout. Manager, coaches, trainers, clubhouse attendants. Everyone. Every. One. We are essentially at 29 teams and counting. Counting down, that is.

[bighat]

 

It's more than just their active 30. It also means deactivating anyone who was in their clubhouse and/or dugout. Manager, coaches, trainers, clubhouse attendants. Everyone. Every. One. We are essentially at 29 teams and counting. Counting down, that is.

 

I'm hoping that MLB planned for this scenario. The answer: bring up the B team and get them on the field. It's really the only solution if MLB wants to have a season. They said they wanted to play ball, let's do it then.

 

If this were the Twins I'd say the same thing. Do what you can: Blaine Hardy's starting tomorrow. Austin Adams starts Wednesday. Nick Gordon's leading off followed by Zander Weil and Yasiel Puig's hitting cleanup if he passes the physical (pre-covid diagnosis example for Puig here).

[twins1095]

 

I'm hoping that MLB planned for this scenario. The answer: bring up the B team and get them on the field. It's really the only solution if MLB wants to have a season. They said they wanted to play ball, let's do it then.

 

If this were the Twins I'd say the same thing. Do what you can: Blaine Hardy's starting tomorrow. Austin Adams starts Wednesday. Nick Gordon's leading off followed by Zander Weil and Yasiel Puig's hitting cleanup if he passes the physical (pre-covid diagnosis example for Puig here).

 

I think that this is the right direction. Most outbreaks, even the Marlins, should be caught relatively early. That is, I think it's 11 Marlins players that have been infected. This seems like relative worst case for catching a spreading outbreak.

 

It seems like you could remove the positive guys for 15 days, monitor the non-positives for ~3/4/5 days, and call up the B squad. Cancel that days game and make it a double header and cancel the game before the non-positives come back and make that a double header.

 

You could probably get by with the non-positives only missing ~2 games and then effectively having the non-positive guys out for 2 weeks or so. 

 

It seems like that could work and still have some semblance of competitive baseball. 

[FlauerPauer]

I wonder why baseball didn't try to do like four hub cities that 7-8 teams could have stayed in and played each other... We'll see how it works for the NHL and NBA, but MLB may have made a big mistake with the travel. 

[dbminn]

Covid creates big problems for a sport played every day. Any player/coach/employee exposed to the virus yesterday or Saturday may not test positive for another 2-5 days. 

 

My bet is the entire Marlins series will be cancelled. 

[ashbury]

Why? They didn't bother doing that last year.

 

[jkcarew]

We’re 3 days in. This is an exhibition season...and was always destined to be such. By the end of the season...and in the history books, this will be like 1944...only more so. Nothing that happens this year will be taken seriously in retrospect. That is, if this season actually happens. IMO, it beats no baseball. So, I’ll just enjoy games for as long as I can with no expectation that anything like a real season will come to fruition. I think anything else is a recipe for bitter disappointment.

[PDX Twin]

And yet, somehow, the EPL just finished the season, playing 9-10 games per team over about 6 weeks, in home stadiums (no fans), without sequestering the players. Few if any virus issues. Maybe there's something to be said for unified leadership so that all parts of the country are in similar circumstances.

[jkcarew]

Anyone else find it ironic that the NBA has gone all-in....on Florida!? No, problem really...just don't leave your hotel room (or invite anyone to your hotel room) for a couple of months.

 

About how many NBA players really don't want to do this?...probably right around 90%, I'm guessing.

[Vanimal46]

Anyone else find it ironic that the NBA has gone all-in....on Florida!? No, problem really...just don't leave your hotel room (or invite anyone to your hotel room) for a couple of months.

 

About how many NBA players really don't want to do this?...probably right around 90%, I'm guessing.

I was skeptical about the bubble but that has shown to be the most effective way to contain spreading of the virus. The players don’t have much of a life beyond the 4 walls of their hotel room and the basketball court. But hey, they’re in good shape to finish out their season.

[PDX Twin]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/27/every-sport-has-coronavirus-plan-mlbs-lasted-four-days/