MLB trade rumors and news: 2020 season continues to hang in the balance as league, union go back and forth

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• Ahh, yes, it’s another day where we have no idea whether or not there will be Major League Baseball in 2020. A day after the commissioner walked back his guarantee that there would be a season this year, the sport remained in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as the league and the players’ union remain at an impasse. If anything, everything feels more hopeless after Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a Los Angeles Times interview that the league should probably wrap up the postseason before late October due to concerns about a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Rob Manfred and the league had been adamant that one way or another, there was going to be baseball in 2020, regardless as to whether or not they could reach an agreement with MLBPA. Well, the players called the league’s bluff and now Manfred’s posture is that he is not sure there will be a 2020 season and there will not be baseball in 2020 unless the players waive their right to seek legal remedies from the league. To say that this posture has been widely panned is an understatement, and it has been an unmitigated disaster in the court of public opinion. There was always zero chance that the players were going to accept this and it seems true that there is little public sympathy for the league’s position.
• Still reeling from last week’s draft? We are too. Stay in the know with profiles and analysis of every pick from the first round and beyond here.
• Will there even be baseball this year? The MLB owners, unwilling to budge on literally anything, hit the MLBPA with another unreasonable offer for a 72-game season with 70% prorated salary that jumps to 83% if a player finishes the season entirely. Executive Director Tony Clark rejected the proposal saying in a statement, “...Our response has been consistent that such concessions are unwarranted, would be fundamentally unfair to players, and that our sport deserves the fullest 2020 season possible...As a result, it unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile. It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.” At the moment, there will not be any further counter offers from the league to the players.
• The baseball industry “isn’t very profitable,” according to Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr.
• In non-COVID-19 or civil unrest related news, Chris Archer had to go under the knife last week to correct thoracic outlet syndrome. The timing of the procedure means that he will not play during the 2020 season regardless of when it starts or how many games it ends up being. Given that TOS can be a really scary thing to have, we wish Chris a speedy and successful recovery.
• More scandal? Sure, I’ll take a sprinkling. A New York District judge has order Major League Baseball and the Yankees to unseal a letter from 2017 sent from Rob Manfred to Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman. First reported by Evan Drellich of The Athletic, The letter allegedly details the extend of rule violations that occurred in the 2015-16 season. If this isn’t brand new information, it’s like the other charge from 2017 that found the Yankees in violation of using a cellphone in the dugout during games. However, if it’s another full scale sign cheating scandal, the Yankees are heading back to court. They are expected to appeal the ruling.
• In tragic, unsettling news, MLB teams have released hundreds of minor league players, with more players likely to be released in the coming weeks. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds across the country, billionaires are making the choices to cut menial, insignificant costs in the form of the people who make them money. If you’re looking to help during this difficult times, tweet us at @mlbdailydish while we work with Adopt A Minor Leaguer to help find sponsors for MiLB players struggling.
• Max Scherzer very publicly weighed in on the negotiations between MLBPA and the league regarding the 2020 season. Given that he is both an MLBPA representative and a generally terrifying human being, this stands as both an pretty clear snapshot of the union’s current stance as well as arguably their best negotiating tactic given that everyone has seen what happens just when Scherzer is about to be taken out of a game that he doesn’t want to leave.
• The Blue Jays have guaranteed their employees that there will be no layoffs or furloughs for the the remaining duration of the shutdown (or, perhaps lack thereof a season), reports John Lott of The Athletic. The team will pay all salaries through October 1st, and has found creative ways to utilize staff that otherwise would be left out of particular roles. Perhaps the coolest thing they’re doing is bringing in minor league coaches and staff to be a part of this year’s draft process. Good for you, Toronto.
• Major League Baseball is projecting a loss of $4 billion in free cash flow due to game played in front of empty seats during the proposed 82-game season, The Associated Press is reporting. The 12-page document from the commissioner’s office laid out the exact numbers of what the league will lose out of, averaging that it will cost $640k a game in losses. Each team would face at least $84M in loses, a figure dependent on the franchise’s projected earning pre-interest, taxes, etc. In contrast, the MLBPA is claiming that these losses aren’t are stark as owners are claiming. Now, they’re seeking further documentation of where these facts and figures came from. More on this story from both sides as it develops.
• While being a part of a global historical event that no one asked for has changed our daily lives in various ways, Matt Harvey has turned this tremendous negative into a positive. The Dark Knight has been throwing bullpen sessions one or two times a week in the hopes of earning a contract once the season starts up, reports Dan Martin of the New York Post. After playing for the Angels last season on a one year, $11M contract, Harvey lacked the spark he’d shown with the Reds the season before and threw for a 7.09 ERA and 6.35 FIP. But everyone loves a comeback story, and nothing says “perfect set up for a movie starring Matt Damon” than the former Mets ace revitalizing his career after a fall from grace and months spent in isolation, meditation and looking back at his life. I want a royalty fee, btw. Let’s not forget, Harvey isn’t just battling back from bad outings — he also previously underwent Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgery.
• One subject that had kind of gotten overshadowed given the state of the world was whether or not the Hall of Fame inductions of Derek Jeter and Larry Walker (plus Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller) were going to happen as scheduled or in a different form. Well, the Hall made their decision and their inductions will be postponed until 2021 with this year’s elected members being enshrined alongside next year’s class. Just a dagger in the side of those New York voters who tried to make Jeter be in a HOF class by himself.
• MLB and Minor League Baseball are reportedly close to an agreement that would cause 42 minor-league teams to lose their big-league affiliations. While there are perhaps a few positives to be taken from this deal — every club will have the same number of minor-league affiliates, travel will be more efficient, and minor-leaguers will get paid more — it’s extremely rough news for employees and fans in the affected markets and the players whose dreams will be crushed as more than 1,000 jobs are eliminated.
• After undergoing Tommy John surgery last September, Adam Warren’s baseball suitors weren’t exactly beating down his door for a contract. However, he was able to snag a deal with a team he’s already very familiar with: the Yankees. The reliever has worked out a two-year minor league contract with the club, reports George A. King III of the New York Post. He would already be spending 2020 recovering from surgery, so the added time given the current situation only strengthens his case for a good comeback in 2021.
• Need some additional drama to add to this pandemic situation? According to a report from Zach Buchanan of The Athletic, three minority owners of the Diamondbacks have joined forces to sue Ken Kendrick, the team’s managing general partner. The suit stems from a letter Kendrick sent owners that instructed anyone with less than one percent of the team either increase their shares of the franchise or sell them back to the team at a price that will be determined by an appraiser. While Kendrick feels this ultimatum was fair and square, this trio of owners are saying this act of backing them into the corner was illegal. Cue soap opera music.
• There is a lot of potential weirdness surrounding the current COVID-19 situation and what the loss of regular season games or even the whole season could mean for various players and team employees. However, one such area of weirdness has already been ironed out as it has been reported that even if the 2020 season doesn’t happen, the punishments handed down to the Astros’ Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch will be considered served. This was likely to be a necessary move given how the league is planning on handling MLB service time, even though it doesn’t necessarily feel great.