By Jordan Long
Major League Baseball hasn’t started their season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) have given each other proposals in hopes they both can come to an agreement and begin the year.
MLB suggested an 82 games season that would start in July without fans in attendance. It also included the use of the universal designated hitter, a 30-man active roster with a 20-player taxi squad, and 14 teams in the playoffs with games played in home cities.
This idea could be possible. 82 games are half of the regular season. MLB would be making the wise choice to have almost half the league in the playoffs which means every team has the opportunity to make the postseason, even as a wild-card.
There are a few problems with this plan. A 30-man active roster doesn’t make sense. Sure it sounds good on paper, but teams carry 40 man rosters during a regular 162 game season. What if a franchise starts having injuries on the team? There isn’t a way for athletes to be called up. The 20-player taxi squad would be used for this but it is possible certain positions won’t have enough players. Then what do teams do? They may have to mix certain positions who play such as the outfield. A left fielder might have to play center or right. 14 teams advancing to the postseason means regular season games don’t mean as much.
The Major League Baseball Players Association made a counteroffer. Their plan includes 114 games played in the regular season followed by an expanded postseason. The season would start on June 30th.
MLB is at least discussing on how to start the year. It is still possible to have a season, especially since MLB is willing to play games without fans. The difficulty is COVID-19. The virus is still out there. They can test players all they want but what happens if a player or a manager catches COVID-19? The league may have to shut it down for a few weeks or maybe for the rest of the year. They need to do what is best for the health and safety of the organizations. Hopefully, MLB can come back and do it safely.
Leave a Reply