MLB 2025 Season

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MLBPA: Luxury tax won't reset if season is canceled

Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb

2h ago

Rob Tringali / Major League Baseball / Getty

Major League Baseball's luxury tax threshold won't be reset if the 2020 season is canceled, a spokesperson for the players' association told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

"There is no reset - everything will be frozen and restart as if 2021 was 2020 for (competitive balance tax) purposes," the spokesperson said.

This will be the case only if the season is canceled outright. MLB suspended Opening Day indefinitely earlier this month due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it's not known when play will resume.

Three teams - the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Chicago Cubs - paid into the tax in 2019. The Red Sox attempted to reset their number this winter by shedding salary, most notably through trading Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers last month.

Jason P

I noticed MLB charged my card for the MLB package full season.  Are they planning on going full NASCAR and simming The Show?

mfc2006

Well, that’s some shitty news. 

eeriepadave

RIP Al Kaline

tempo_n_groove

eeriepadave said:

RIP Al Kaline

Yeah that sucked.  Lost Withers and now Kaline.  There might be a lot more of these HOFers succumbing to illness these days.

mfc2006

eeriepadave said:

RIP Al Kaline

RIP

xavier mcdaniel

this seems like a possible way for baseball to restart, though I am skeptical until it actually occurs: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29004498/mlb-union-focused-plan-allow-season-start-early-arizona

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https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/1969677

Report: MLB considering divisional realignment for 2020 season

Jason Wilson

2h ago

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.

Major League Baseball is considering a plan that would eliminate the traditional National League and American League alignments for the 2020 regular season if and when it takes place, a high-ranking official told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

Under this scenario, all 30 teams would return to their spring training facilities in Florida and Arizona. The teams would only play games in their respective states and with no fans in attendance. The divisions would be realigned based on the proximity of spring ballparks for ease of travel during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The plan would include a three-week training period followed by an abbreviated regular season.

One possible realignment structure under the proposal looks like this:

Grapefruit League

NORTH	SOUTH	WEST
Yankees	Red Sox	Nationals
Phillies	Twins	Astros
Blue Jays	Braves	Mets
Tigers	Rays	Cardinals
Pirates	Orioles	Marlins

Cactus League

NORTHEAST	WEST	NORTHWEST
Cubs	Dodgers	Brewers
Giants	White Sox	Padres
Diamondbacks	Reds	Mariners
Rockies	Indians	Rangers
Athletics	Angels	Royals

The designated hitter would likely become universal for the duration of the season.

In addition to spring training ballparks, three major-league stadiums (Chase Field, Marlins Park, and Tropicana Field) will also be available if this plan is enacted.

"When you're trying to get really creative, why say no now?" Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa said of the proposal. "So, you have a unique season. I've got no problem with that."

The postseason structure is also up in the air and could play out in a variety of ways, but a World Series would take place between the respective league champions in domed stadiums in November.

This is one of several contingency plans being discussed. Earlier this week, a reported plan to host the entire season in Arizona surfaced, earning support and skepticism from various parties.

MLB is waiting until for health and government officials to say it's safe to resume play, the official told Nightengale, with hope remaining that teams will be able to return to their home cities.

mfc2006

Not a terrible idea.

Wobbie

fuck that. we don't want to be with the cubs.

fuck the DH, too. fuck tony la russa, as well.

with my giants facing a lost season, it would be fine with me to scrap the whole thing....especially if mookie never suits up for the d**gers.

mfc2006

I just want to see some baseball again this year. I'm so happy that even it gets scrapped, we saw some at Spring Training before everything hit the fan.

Jason P

I don't see the players agreeing to being sequestered for 3+ months playing in blazing hot empty stadiums.  This isn't as simple as Dana White's plan to fight on dinosaur island over a weekend.

Jason P

Tatis Jr's reaction to hitting a HR as video game Tatis Jr 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1249521335916736513

mfc2006

Jason P said:

Tatis Jr's reaction to hitting a HR as video game Tatis Jr 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1249521335916736513

HAHA! That's awesome.

God, I miss baseball. And that's coming from a lifelong Astros fan that knew full well that this was going to be a brutal season.

Be well, all.

The Juggler

ESPN showing game 1 of the 88 series. God damn, everything about this sport was better back then. 

I mean....literally everything  

PureandEasy

I was the only one in my workplace (granted it's a reduced workforce)  that had on her full Phillies regalia last week to commemorate what would have been opening day.  Have to give shoutout to mfc2006, damn straight it would be a difficult year but apparently your love of the game has won out over all the negativity that surely would have surrounded the Astros.  Only wish the Astros love of the game had prevented them doing what they did.  

tempo_n_groove

The Juggler said:

ESPN showing game 1 of the 88 series. God damn, everything about this sport was better back then. 

I mean....literally everything  

I don't think we will ever see an at-bat Like Gibson's again. 

mfc2006

PureandEasy said:

I was the only one in my workplace (granted it's a reduced workforce)  that had on her full Phillies regalia last week to commemorate what would have been opening day.  Have to give shoutout to mfc2006, damn straight it would be a difficult year but apparently your love of the game has won out over all the negativity that surely would have surrounded the Astros.  Only wish the Astros love of the game had prevented them doing what they did.  

Thanks. I wish they hadn't done it either...but they did. The fallout as a fan has been brutal at times...especially when we went to Spring Training. But, they're my team. They always have been & always will be. I hope we all get to see some baseball this year. Stay safe an be well, all.

tempo_n_groove

Let's talk top 5 pitchers you have seen play. 

I still think Greg Maddux is the best I've ever seen.  The man was such a student of the game and would establish a huge strikezone by painting corners.  He had a max fastball of 92mph...  

Next is Big Unit, Randy Johnson.  He pitched with ferocity, anger and deft.  Some of his outings with Kenny Lofton are legendary.  Watching him hurl a fastball from that 6'10 frame of his was awesome to watch.  I wonder if anything would have been different if he had an overhand delivery instead of his 3/4 style?

Pedro Martinez.  He was another that pitched with a mission.  Had the whole league not been juiced up I wonder what his numbers would have been?

Clayton Kershaw.  Say what you want about his post season failures which some can be forgiven considering the Astros sign stealing but he has been the most dominant pitcher over the last decade.

Max Scherzer.  Here is another modern day workhorse.  He wants the ball in his hand and wants to win.  2019 wasn't his best season stat wise but he helped win a WS title and the year before he did something that I thought would be unattainable for a pitcher to do ever again considering the lessened work loads and that is get 300K's in a season.

F Me In The Brain

For me, the top 4 came easily to mind.

Pedro (the best I have seen in person whenever I talk baseball with friends...so much to have seen over the years in different versions of himself.). I could not stand him for many of those years but always respected his tremendous game.

Unit - awesome.  Remember seeing scary Randy in early days and that was more fun, really, than when he was a DBack or Yank.  Fight On, love that Randy threw to Jack del Rio at USC.

Maddux - the artist

Clemens - hated this cheater most of the time but saw him as early as mid 80s on up until his end.  Best memories were from the fourth row behind visitors dugout, where my old man had company box seats when I was growing up.  Sure, I rooted for the visiting team (every trip to Fenway) but I thought Clemens was a badass.

Last one.....after some thought, I feel great about this pick - Smoltz
To be as good as he was as a SP and then have three dominant years as a Closer....just phenomenal.
Remember one year when he was a closer watching him warm up in the visitors pen at Doyers Stadium.  The coolest part was listening to his fastball.  Dude brought a heavy ball to the party as a closer.