Prediction: There Won't Be a 2020 MLB Season

It’s time to admit the truth: there likely will not be an MLB Season in 2020. There are just too many obstacles in the way, including the ongoing dispute between the Major League Baseball Player’s Association and the MLB Owners. This is just one hurdle, however. Even if they are to come to an agreement (which is not a guarantee — see 1994), there are also so many other factors including, but not limited to…

• Making sure all the players, coaches, umpires, and every employee involved are able to get constant testing throughout the season.

• Finding places to play when there are still many cities and states that have strict laws on public gatherings (even without fans it would still be a fairly large public gathering)

• Dealing with the public scrutiny of using up resources needed for others in order to play a game

• Finding a way to play a semi-normal baseball game while trying to comply with social distancing laws

These are just some of the many obstacles that may stop a 2020 MLB Season from happening and in my opinion, they will be more than enough. This prediction has nothing to do with what I want to happen or what I think should happen. I want nothing more than an MLB season, even if it is a little weird. I love baseball more than anything else and cannot imagine the toll it would take not having it for an entire year or more. However, as said, there are just simply too many obstacles in the way.

As for a Minor League Season, it is all but guaranteed to be cancelled. Well, on the bright side, I guess that means the Sacramento River Cats get to be reigning Triple A Champions for another year.

MLB Owners Agree On 2020 Season Proposal... But Will The Players???

The Major League Baseball Owners have reportedly approved a plan to bring MLB back to our homes in 2020. However, this plan still needs to be approved by the...

According to Ken Rosenthal and other reports, the Major League Baseball owners have come to an agreement on a plan for an MLB Season in 2020. However, this plan cannot go into effect until approved by the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Player’s Association), which could be a tall task. Some of the highlights of the plan include:

• 82-game regional schedule and universal DH

• 30-man active rosters with a 20-player taxi squad

• 14 teams in the postseason with games played in home cities in October

• 50/50 revenue split for players and owners

That last point will be the biggest problem when it comes to receiving the MLBPA’s approval. The owners want to change the way players are paid, even though both sides already came to an agreement only 6 weeks ago over how players would be paid if and when baseball resumed. Now, due to the fact that there will be no fans in the stands to start the season, owners are proposing a 50/50 revenue split, which the MLBPA will surely reject. Players have never been paid based on their team or league’s revenue and they will not be willing to start now, especially when playing baseball this year will be anything but normal. They may be expected to wear masks, keep social distancing before, during and after games, adhere to a strange new set of rules, be away from their families, and worst of all — be denied the post-game buffet!

Nevertheless, many baseball fans may be encouraged by the latest news that the owners have agreed upon a plan. However, it means nothing until the MLBPA also agrees to the plan. A 50/50 Revenue Split is basically a salary cap, and the last time the owners tried to enforce that, we lost the World Series due to the Player’s Strike of 1994. Therefore, tonight’s negotiations are likely only the beginning. It will be a long and hard fought negotiation, but at the end of the day, both sides stand to benefit from having some sort of a season. And even if an agreement is made, there are still many obstacles left, such as what to do about cities that are still enforcing bans of mass gatherings (even without fans, an MLB game may be considered a mass gathering).

As for the rule changes, the Universal Designated Hitter is not something I am a fond of as a National League fan, but I can deal with it for one season. The same goes for the expanded playoffs. That being said, there is no doubt that owners and executives are doing their best to take advantage of the current situation in order to get whatever rules or regulations they were dreaming of before to enter into reality. I only hope that in 2021, things revert back to normal.

Woman Whose Face Was Crushed by a Foul Ball Sues MLB & The Chicago Cubs

It is no surprise in the modern Smartphone era that more and more fans are being injured by foul balls at Major League Baseball games. A Chicago Cubs fan named Laiah Zuniga was crushed in the face by a foul ball in a 2018 Major League Baseball game at Wrigley Field. She and her lawyers are suing the Cubs and Major League Baseball for the damages this caused, which seem quite severe.

“The blow knocked me unconscious,” Zuniga said in a statement released by her lawyers. “When I awoke, my beef sandwich was the only thing I had to catch the waterfall of blood running down my face.

“I suffered a spider fracture under both of my eyes," she said. “I have frequent bloody noses to this day, and my taste and smell have been permanently affected. I was hit so hard my teeth were detached from their nerves and I had to have extensive dental work done. And even then I still lost a few teeth in the process and am still losing them today.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, they are suing for over $50,000. This is an amount that a Major League Team can quite easily afford, but the question is.. should they help fans who are injured by foul balls? As most MLB fans are aware, warnings are given every game not only through the PA System but also on the tickets themselves. Teams are not to be held responsible. Nevertheless, it would be a kind gesture to help out such fans who are injured by foul balls… after all, it is not like this happens every game. It is thankfully a relatively rare occurrence.

As a die-hard baseball fan, I would prefer not to look through a net. However, given the era we’re in, and the fact that many parents have their faces stuck in their phones with young children sitting beside them, I believe it is the best move to extend the netting as far as possible.

Laiah Zuniga, after being struck in the face by a foul ball in 2018.

New MLB Proposal Has All Teams Playing In Their Own Stadiums... But Still No Fans.

The proposals began almost immediately after Spring Training stopped. MLB owners and executives are desperate to bring back Major League Baseball into people’s homes so that some type of revenue can start being generated. However, thus far, every proposal has been met with extreme challenges that proved too much to overcome.

First, there was the Arizona plan… then the Arizona/Florida plan… then the Arizona/Texas/Florida plan… and now it’s the 3-Division plan. In this plan, there would be 3 separate divisions of ten teams each, with each team playing in their own ballpark. The plan surfaced through a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who said that MLB officials are “cautiously optimistic” that the season will start in late June, and no later than July 2, playing at least 100 regular season games. This plan would not include fans and the ten teams in each division would only play among themselves.

Of course, nothing can happen until medical experts agree that it is safe and widespread testing is available. Also, even with the 10 teams in each division only traveling to teams within their own division, there will still be plenty of travel. Under the current proposed divisions, teams like the San Francisco Giants would be traveling to places like Houston and Arlington, while the Yankees would travel to Miami. To further complicate matters, the plan calls for an abbreviate Spring Training in each teams’ Spring Training Complex. This would require even more moving around for the players and personnel.

What also must be taken into account is the fact that these games would be televised. Therefore, the amount of people at each game, even without fans, would easily be in the several hundreds. Think of the cameramen, reporters, producers, coaches, extended rosters, umpires, network personnel, announcers, clubhouse assistants, trainers, etc etc… and this would be in multiple states during a pandemic. The governors of these states would have to approve the plan and MLB would have to be prepared for the backlash it might receive from the general public, who, believe it or not, are not all baseball fans. Unless the social climate improved tenfold within the next 30 days, this plan simply feels impossible.