MLB: Players Reportedly Agree to Realignment of Divisions for 2020
While MLB and the Player’s Union still struggle to meet in the middle on financial details, the season schedule is starting to take shape. The MLBPA sent over their counterproposal to league owners this weekend, asking for a 114-game season.
The MLB owners came back as recently as yesterday, saying that the league would actually prefer to do a season in the range of 50-60 games. Another report broke yesterday from The Boston Globe, saying that players were actually fine with the idea of realigning divisions for the 2020 season.
The idea of changing around the divisions stems from the hope of cutting down travel for players all year long. Rather than continuing to play all around the country, teams would likely stick to the teams within their expanded division. MLB owners had received the approval from the MLBPA this past weekend, per the report.
Essentially, the new alignment would put teams in the AL and NL together, grouped regionally. So every team in the NL West and AL West would be combining to play each other all season long, however many games that might be. So in that sense, the MLB did just put the Dodgers and Astros in the same division if the report is accurate.
MLB has not commented on the report, nor has any major news outlet aside from the Boston Globe. But this new structure would also add the Angels, Athletics, Rangers, and Mariners to the National League West. They would join the Giants, Rockies, Padres, and Diamondbacks as the other western teams, giving each division ten big league squads.
We’re still waiting for further news on this.
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I can see the realignment to satisfy travel restrictions, but remember, this is to the owners advantage – less money is shelled out for a 10 game road-trip out west as opposed to the east coast It is any will always be about the MONEY! The same is true for the proposed schedule. Since salaries will be prorated based on a 162 game schedule, the owners want less games so they can reduce salaries. The players want more games to increase the prorated percentage. Owners payout 37% of a players salary (60 games schedule), and players want 70% (114 game schedule). This gets back to the owners request in the beginning for the players to take less, it’s only hidden in the details.
Maybe with more games, the Dodgers can actually win at least one game against the mighty Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
If it’s about the money,( it is) then you would think they’d want to play more games. If they’re going to play 1/3 of the season they should complain about the lesser amount of money. I think the fans are losing here not the teams or the players.
There is not going to be any fans this season.
114 games minimum, 50 is a jjoke,why dont they just shorten football to 4 games while there at it.
Everything about this makes any champion illegitimate and since that’s what our team plays for and that’s only what our fans want, I hope this doesn’t happen. Just Having no fans is a deal breaker for me. Do we really want to win the World Series like that?
Loosen up Don. Life is short. Who cares what a short season means. If the players are willing to play under the circumstances, enjoy it. No one wants a pandemic. And certainly nobody wants a pandemic to disrupt life as we know it. So chill. You’re healthy. You got a couch and and a TV. You have some beer that costs less that $15 a pint. Maybe even a whole pizza for the price of a slice at the stadium. It’s all good. I’ve said it before, your baseball takes are solid, but your cynicism is not a good time.
I should be less cynical. I’ll hope for a season just so we can feel a tad better about Betts leaving and Verdugo becoming a .300 hitter elsewhere. Our championship will have an asterisk almost the size of Houston’s and I’m not being sarcastic this is my positive take
Something has to be done about getting the revenue stream going again. Several MLB teams are in dire straits financially. Regardless of our individual opinions of whether the season would be legitimate or not, or if we are tired about millionaires whining about money in these times, but bottom line is that the revenue needs to begin flowing again.
IDIOTS!
As I said about a week ago; If they’re worried about the “Revenue”, Allow the FANS back into the stadiums…(Problem SOLVED). I saw an article in the newspaper last week. Stating that MLB Teams with EMPTY Stadiums; for the entire year; would lose approximately, $7.75–$11.5 M. Each.
I hope that this will not happen, because the reality is that tickets are sold only in order to give payments to everyone, including athletes. Playing without fans will be a huge loss for the whole sport, I hope they will not allow this. I believe that you need to transfer games or arrange online games with special passes.