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Mark P
7:04
Hi everyone, welcome to the Sunday night chat! Let's dive into some questions
Dodger Dog
7:05
54 games is kind of a joke, right?
Mark P
7:05
Any kind of shortened season will obviously come with an asterisk, so whether it's 48 games, 54 games, 62, 70, 81, whatever, it's all splitting hairs
Rick
7:06
So lets be honest, will season ever start?
Guest
7:06
Do you think mlb will happen?
Mark P
7:07
Yes, there will likely be a 2020 season.  The length, we don't know.  When it'll start, we don't know, but we can probably speculate that it'll be around a month from now.

I say "likely" since another COVID-19 spike could throw everything out of sorts
ronnie
7:08
will the phils be able to resign their all star catcher before the off season
Mark P
7:09
Once the transactions freeze is lifted, teams will be able to proceed as usual in discussing extensions with players.  Realmuto and the Phils were having some kind of talks before the shutdown, so depending on what kind of progress was made, it's possible a deal could be reached.  That said, JTR is also likely to get a lot of free agent attention this winter, so at this point he might just be more apt to test the market.
wrussellmania
7:10
Is there any chance of the Owners truly opening up their books to discuss finances?
Mark P
7:10
Not a chance
Grayson
7:10
Neither side is right per say but baseball is a business first and foremost and the owners have to make money, which they can’t make much of without fans. In March they did agree to 100% prorated salaries IF FANS WERE ALLOWED INTO THE PARKS. The players have been leaving out this last part however when they have been complaining on social media however. Seems to me that the owners are the only ones actually trying to get a season started
Mark P
7:14
The players heavily dispute the "prorated salaries only if fans are allowed to attend" portion of the March agreement, however, which is the root of this entire argument.

The "baseball is a business" stance overlooks the fact that the players are businessmen as well.  They have already lost well over half of their 2020 salaries, and naturally aren't keen on giving up any more based on the owners' rather dubious claims.  Plus, as many have pointed out, the stance that the owners "have to make money" is kind of dubious, considering that they've made a fortune in every other year and are better positioned than any player to continue to benefit in future years
Stuff of legends
7:15
If the season is only 50 games do players get a full years service time? Prorated based on last year? How does this work?
Mark P
7:16
Based on the March agreement, players are guaranteed a full year of service time in a shortened season.
Braves in 2020
7:16
With the season being a third the normal length (at best) can we assume no in season trade deadline?
Mark P
7:18
You still need some kind of deadline, because obviously you couldn't have two teams swinging a trade a week before the playoffs began, or something.

But how trades will be handled is still an open question.  Now, transactions will involve players going from one quarantined "bubble" to another.
Jim
7:19
Is the Yankees sign stealing issue the dugout phone incident they got fined for?
Mark P
7:19
Yep
Brian Cashman
7:20
Does Garcia Frazier and Andujar get it done for Lindor
Mark P
7:21
I suspect the Tribe would have a lot of interest in this offer.  That's a lot of young talent and team control for one full season of Lindor and whatever remains of the 2020 schedule.
Fan 532
7:22
I feel like the "champion has an asterisk" idea is overblown. We don't hear that about the 1981 Dodgers or 1995 Braves despite their shortened seasons.
Mark P
7:23
The 1981 Dodgers played 110 regular season games, and the 1995 Braves played 144.  Those numbers are a heck of a lot larger than the 50-55 games we might be getting this season.
Cambo
7:24
Any chance there -isnt- a strike with the next CBA?
Mark P
7:24
Sure.  There might just be a lockout!
Rob
7:24
If they don’t play this year do u believe they will lose a lot of fan base?
Mark P
7:25
All of the public arguing has already done a lot to turn off fans
4th of July Start
7:26
Start on the 4th of July.  Start playoffs on Labor Day.  63 games, and you can get the postseason in before a Fall Covid Spike.  Pay 75% this year and 25% deferred over the next five years
Mark P
7:27
Players would need more prep time to be in game shape, so mid-July rather than the 4th is more likely.

Deferred money always seems like a natural midpoint between the players' and owners' stances, but the owners reportedly didn't want to defer money since they'd just be moving the payments down the road.
Worried Fan
7:27
If there is only a 48 game season or something like that, a Tigers v Marlins WS or something like that could be very possible if either of those teams get hot for 2 or 3 weeks. What would be the point to care as a fan?
Mark P
7:28
From a narrative standpoint, at least, the Marlins winning in 2020 would fit with their franchise's theme of having championships that seem like weird aberrations
Jason
7:29
Will the Dodgers get to host the 2021 All-Star game, since there will not be one this year?
Mark P
7:29
The 2021 game has already been promised for Atlanta, so my guess is that L.A. will get another chance in 2022
Lt Data
7:30
The owners really don’t care if there’s baseball this year, do they?
Mark P
7:31
According to some reports, there are at least a couple of owners who would prefer that no season take place.  But I'd think the majority (negotiating stance notwithstanding) absolutely want to make some money this year rather than just write everything off
Duda
7:32
Are you at all for a World Cup format for this year?  20 games and then a knockout round?
Mark P
7:33
I don't think teams are going to go through the motions of a "Spring Training 2.0" just for the sake of playing 20 games
Thanksgiving Classic
7:34
Thinking out of the box, would double headers work with 7 inning games each?   Once or twice a week.  9 inning games when no double header.  You like?
Mark P
7:34
I'm wary of the idea of changing the nature of an actual baseball game from nine to seven innings
Rangers29
7:35
I am getting really tired of this stupid back and forth between owners and players. I need a poll to see who else is tired of it, please.
Mark P
7:35
This would be the first 100 percent poll in the history of these chats
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