Bleed Cubbie Blue

No one elected to Hall of Fame for the 2021 class

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 23:25:00 GMT

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The Hall will still have players at an induction ceremony in July, though.

Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, charged each year with electing members to the sport’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, failed to elect anyone in 2021.

Curt Schilling received 71.1 percent, falling 16 votes short. He received the most votes of anyone on this year’s ballot. Last year he got 70.0 percent.

Barry Bonds received 61.8 percent of the vote, slightly more than the 60.7 percent he had in 2020, and Roger Clemens 61.6 percent, up a tick from the 61.0 percent he received last year. Bonds, Clemens and Schilling will be in their final years on the writers’ ballot in 2022.

As for Cubs on the ballot, Sammy Sosa received 68 votes, 17 percent. Sosa received 13.9 percent in 2020, and he’ll also be in his final year of eligibility in 2022.

Aramis Ramirez, on the ballot for the first time, received four votes, 1 percent, and so he falls off the ballot. Three first-timers will remain on the ballot next year; Mark Buehrle (11 percent), Torii Hunter (9.5 percent) and Tim Hudson (5.2 percent).

14 writers submitted blank ballots, the most ever, up from 12 last year. You can read all the vote results here.

Last year’s class, which didn’t get an induction ceremony when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will get its chance on a July afternoon this year in Cooperstown:

The Class of 2020 – consisting of Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker – will be inducted on Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Cooperstown, alongside any new members elected as part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 24, 2021 will recognize the Hall of Fame’s 2020 and 2021 Award Winners, including 2020 J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner Nick Cafardo, 2020 Ford C. Frick Award winner Hawk Harrelson and the winner of the 2020 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, David Montgomery.

Jeter’s presence in Cooperstown should bring a pretty large crowd to upstate New York. Next year’s ballot will be very interesting, as Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz will be the most prominent first-ballot names.

A Hall of Fame ballot like no other: Will anyone be elected to Cooperstown in 2021?

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 20:30:12 GMT

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Many writers expressed discomfort with their votes this year — more should have altered their voting process to accommodate what they know is right.

The offseason has a cadence to it. You have the non-tender decisions, awards season, The Winter Meetings, the arbitration deadline, and finally, a few weeks before pitchers and catchers report each year, you have the annual announcement of the Hall of Fame votes.

As the votes trickle in from the BBWAA members who make their ballots public they are posted and tracked by Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs). It’s a winter ritual for baseball Twitterati to argue about different players’ cases to be in the hall. In previous years those conversations were dominated by questions about PED usage and eligibility, but if you scratched below the surface of those narratives you would find a small group of writers and voters asking questions that went well beyond steroid usage. For example, here is ESPN’s Christian Kahrl’s explanation of her decision to exclude Roger Clemens in 2020:

The big thing folks will have noticed about my ballot is that I had Roger Clemens on my ballot last year (my first), and took him off this year. Clemens’ statistical accomplishments and historical achievements put him in the forefront of the Cooperstown conversation — he’s among the 14-15 players I referenced. If or when he’s elected, you’ll get no argument from me, not on that basis alone.
But the ballot is also very clear in its instructions that those are not the only criteria with which to make informed choices. After spending more time in the past year looking at the questions surrounding Clemens’ interactions with Mindy McCready, alleged and agreed-upon, starting from when she was a minor, and discussing the issue with other colleagues, I can only say that going forward, should he ultimately get elected, it will have to be without my support.

The 2020 ballot was amateur hour compared to 2021. While all of the controversies in this years’ ballot lurked under the surface last year the conversation centered around whether or not Derek Jeter would be elected unanimously (he missed by one vote). This year’s ballot offers a stark choice for voters because the players with the best statistical cases to be included in the Hall of Fame also all have some pretty serious asterisks when one considers the character clause. It seems so simple when you read it:

5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

It is anything but simple. Controversies over the character clause are nothing new as Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci explains in this short video, but the controversies have been amplified in 2021. Part of it is the players on the ballot. Part of it is the heightened awareness of issues like domestic violence, inappropriate sexual relationships, and political polarization. None of these concerns are new, but more voters being aware of their importance has shifted the conversation around who deserves entry into the Hall of Fame.

It has been eye-opening to watch the handwringing.

Steven Marcus started this controversial voting season with a blank ballot:

Ballot #3 (our first "official" ballot) comes from Steven Marcus. He submits a blank ballot.

Marcus, who cast a Jeter-only ballot last year, notes this is not a "protest." He believes there are simply no Hall of Famers on the 2021 ballot.

In the Tracker: https://t.co/cVpo9dRM90 pic.twitter.com/TBw0x8NeQp
— Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs) November 21, 2020

Since players need to reach a 75 percent threshold to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a blank ballot shifts the denominator, making it harder for every candidate on the ballot to make it into the Hall of Fame. It was not the only blank ballot. Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explained his blank ballot as follows:

My vote would be different if Bonds and Clemens were up for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Its voters are instructed to make their decisions based strictly on what the players do on the field. It’s different with the baseball voters. We are reminded in our instructions each year of what has become known as the “character clause.” “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”
Bonds and Clemens have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs. I believe they cheated the game. I am not advocating that their accomplishments be stricken from the record books as if they didn’t exist as players. But I am not going to give them the game’s highest honor with my vote. I won’t be voting for Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz next year for the same reasons when they are eligible for the Hall for the first time.

His explanation for keeping out Schilling was even more blunt:

Larry Walker made it into the Hall last year in his 10th year on the ballot. Schilling has the best chance of getting in this year in his ninth year. Many voters look at the players who came close the year before — Schilling was named on 70 percent of the ballots last year — and vote to get the man in. I refuse to do that, although I thought long and hard about Schilling.

As of this writing there are six blank ballots on Thibodaux’s ballot tracker, up from zero in 2020.

In my opinion, the blank ballots are more defensible than the alternatives. The highly esteemed Ken Rosenthal wrote a remarkably incoherent explanation of his ballot where he basically said taking the character clause into account this year made voting such an unpleasant experience he wasn’t sure he even wanted to vote anymore:

I hate my Hall of Fame ballot. It might be my last.
The ballot is fine, baseball-wise. Some will disagree with this choice or that, as happens every year. But this time, my discontent runs deeper than usual, beyond the inner conflict voters face when simply trying to decide which players are most deserving.
That guiding philosophy — pick the best players— is how I settled on my 10 selections, seven holdovers from my past ballots and three others I had strongly considered previously. So many of my choices were people of questionable character, I called it my hold-my-nose ballot. But the more I think about it, the sick-to-my-stomach ballot would be a more accurate description. I voted out of obligation and ended up feeling like I did the wrong thing, not knowing what the right thing was.

It is worth noting that the sick-to-his-stomach feeling Rosenthal describes is the feeling many fans of the game have when their teams employ domestic abusers, players who harass women on Twitter, and other questionable characters. It sounds exactly like the feeling I had watching Addison Russell return to play for the Cubs in 2019. That Rosenthal is just encountering this feeling and hates it so much he doesn’t want to vote anymore says a lot about the privileged space most baseball writers occupy.

Marc Carig took a slightly more palatable approach in The Athletic today, discussing his discomfort about voting with a neuroscientist (yes, really):

We were 30 minutes into an enlightening conversation when the voice on the other line pivoted to an adjacent topic. “That wasn’t you,” asked Dr. Renee Miller. “Was it?” She wanted to know if I was the one who denied Derek Jeter unanimous election into the baseball Hall of Fame last year. When I assured her that I was not, she offered a friendly laugh. Then she resumed explaining, from a scientific perspective, why I found voting for the honor to be so painful.
It wasn’t always that way. But this year felt different, and it went beyond figuring out what to do with Curt Schilling. The process, the same one that I’ve used every year since I got my first vote, had failed me. I have ignored the dreaded “character clause” because it is impossible to truly know such a thing. Schilling’s social media rantings shook that belief long before his cheerleading for an insurrection. I have insisted that a Hall of Fame vote can’t be only about numbers. It must also include the subjective, such as the way you perceived a player when he played. Not once in the course of watching him did I think that Scott Rolen rose to the level of a Hall of Famer. The statistical evidence has increasingly made me doubt my own memory.

And then there are the voters who wanted their ballots back after the January 6 insurrection — presumably because they were fine with their vote for Curt Schilling prior to his support for the invasion of the Capitol, but not after. That’s a pretty mind-boggling distinction for me, but apparently it is a bright line for some, as Maury Brown of Forbes reports:

The fallout of the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6 that left five dead has now made its way into baseball as numerous Baseball Hall of Fame voters have asked to amend their ballots after the controversial QAnon believer Curt Schilling supported the mob.
Schilling has been a lightning rod across his time on the Hall of Fame ballot for his alt-right conservative views; in 2016, for instance, he posted a picture to his Twitter account of someone wearing a T-shirt that read: “Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some assembly required.” Schilling added the comment “OK, so much awesome here…” That didn’t exactly endear himself to the writers who would be voting for him.
But the increase in his vitriol around the 2020 election, and his unfettered stream supporting the unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud, has made Schilling a unique case for the voters, particularly after he posted a series of videos and messages to his Twitter account regarding the Jan. 6 event at the Capitol.

In a few hours we’ll know if any player reached the threshold for inclusion in Baseball’s Hall of Fame, but we know now that the biggest story of the day is the discomfort that comes with change and awareness. I wish more writers had truly grappled with the implications of that discomfort and altered their ballots rather than retreating to their prior process even though they could feel in their gut that it those processes were inadequate.

2021 MLB Draft Prep: Opening weekend takes shape, and forcing a combine

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 18:30:00 GMT

Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images

College baseball is getting closer, plus a look at a high school kid throwing 98+.

Last time, I noted an opening weekend matchup of Cincinnati and Clemson. Whenever that game is played on February 19, a few players will take steps forward. The pairings for an opening six-team field in Globe Life Park was made official this recently. Mississippi, Mississippi State, and Arkansas clash against Texas, Texas Tech, and TCU. Holy smokes. No cupcakes anywhere. Toss five quality innings, and move up draft boards. Rip two homers, and they were well-earned.

Rob Manfred has decided to add his own special touch to an NFL institution. The pre-draft camp, or combine, as reported by Josh earlier today, is a construct where players get to display their skills for executives. Whether sprints, lifting drills, or position-specific activities, players get a chance to move themselves up or down by their abilities. With an extra month before the draft compared to previous years, Mr. Baseball One Rob Manfred is bullwhipping 88 players into taking physicals for teams. Take the physical (which is unlikely to help in draft selection), and teams can only punish the players to a certain extent if the player is selected. Do poorly enough, and any interest fades. Hire more effective witch doctors?

Prospects Live echoed Mason McRae's call of Harry Ford in a mock draft to the Cubs at 21. At about the same time, prep hurler Chase Petty took his first 2021 bullpen:

Florida commit Chase Petty bringing the ⛽ https://t.co/VscldPlnyR
— Teddy Cahill (@tedcahill) January 22, 2021

Is 98-100.5 good? In January? For a prep? If he stays relatively healthy, he is unlikely to last until 21. Which would drop others from the high-teens to the low twenties.

If a specific Cubs game becomes drudgery this April through July, you're encouraged to filter through a list of top 30 draft likelies, and look at their development as July approaches. I know many of you won't, but baseball is supposed to be about fun, not drudgery. Joy, not seeing how big of a nightly kidney stone you can pass.

Keep track of a few players on the potential board. Christian Franklin is a valid center field option for Arkansas. Since the goal seems to be for Tom Ricketts seems to be to keep players through their inexpensive cost-controlled years only, does Franklin check boxes for you? He hits for average and power, so far. He seems capable in center. Check out Arkansas' three games from opening weekend. (YouTube and other steaming services can be your friend.)

When I post a mock, if you're short on time, read only names 18-24. Take notes on the interesting names. Add names that had been unfamiliar. Perhaps look for Chase Petty. Before long, you'll have eight to ten names you're mildly conversant in, and your internal mental browsers can take it from there. As games begin, you start to carve out a preference list, as if this were a sport where the draft were a discussion topic.

Or, you can get progressively more depressed as Jed Hoyer waits to do anything with free agents until he trades away organizational icons.

Prospects Live assigned last week's headliner, Harry Ford, to the Cubs. Who they assigned is less informational than the why. The premise was that short-term answers, like college bats, seem less necessary if players with upside fall, as had Ford in this instance. Petty might make similar sense. I'm not specifically begging for Ford or Petty, but both seem to have far more upside than players available at 21 a few years back. Nail the draft, or lose to those that do.

Live Stream Tampa is a local outfit in the Hillsborough Community College area of the city. HCC plays their home baseball games at a local ballpark smooshed between Raymond James Stadium and the Yankees training facility. With cameras, baseball in January, and announcers adding flavor, I'm hooked. HCC had a player drafted in 2019 (Carlos Francisco in the 29th Round by the Phillies), so HCC has talent. Monday saw HCC hosting CC of Central Florida (CCF), who had two players drafted in 2019.

My draft-related easter egg was seeing the Patriots right fielder Tre Hondras make a nice two-out catch, and later clip an inside pitch over the wall on a bounce for an RBI double. Doing my homework afterward, I realized/remembered Hondras had been a realistic draft name last June. With COVID and expanded rosters with so many college players sticking around, Hondras is in Ocala, Florida with two college homers already. And the ability to play right field. The South Holland native and graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School at least gets to play non-conference games outside the Big Ten.

Today, for me, Webber International at Keiser in NAIA action. I'm doing podcasts on games I watch or listen to. If you want to hear the three best in whatever is on my computer, I'll give it a Cubs slant. Stay safe.

MLB will host its first-ever draft combine

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:00:00 GMT

USA Baseball National Training Complex | Photo by Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Players eligible for the 2021 MLB Draft will have a chance to showcase their talents this June.

Major League Baseball announced Monday that they will hold the first ever MLB Draft Combine from June 20 to June 28 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Players eligible for this summer’s draft will be invited to meet with teams and receive medical and performance-related evaluations.

MLB has long envied the NFL and NBA with their ability to bring amateur players to one location and run them through a series of tests and showcases in order to get a better handle on which players to draft. Before 2021, however, it was not possible for MLB to set up such a combine because the MLB draft took place while the NCAA Baseball season was still going on — and just after most high school seasons ended. With the draft moved back to July in 2021, MLB now has almost a month from the end of the amateur baseball season to hold a draft combine.

According to MLB’s press release, teams will invite draft-eligible players to attend the combine where they will “have the opportunity to participate in a series of medical & performance assessments as well as educational programming designed to prepare them for a career in professional baseball.” Participation in the combine is voluntary and free for the invited players to participate. The players expected to be chosen in the first half of the first round will probably forgo the combine, but most of the rest will probably jump at the chance to improve their draft stock.

The four areas where the players will be given an evaluation are Athletic Assessment, Sport Vision Screening, Swing Analysis and Ball Flight Analysis. (That last one is things like spin rate for pitchers and launch angle for hitters.)

During this week, 88 draft-eligible high school players will be selected to play in an eight-game Player Development Pipeline (PDP) “showcase” tournament. Then from July 22 to August 1, a second showcase PDP League will feature 96 high school players eligible for the 2022 draft.

While MLB will never be able to take the guesswork out of the draft, events like this MLB Draft Combine will certainly give teams more information to better be able to make their picks. For players, the benefits are more mixed, but it certainly opens the possibility of leveling the playing field a little for players from non-traditional college baseball powers or for high school players from outside of the traditional baseball hot spots like California, Texas and the Southeast.

Cactus League executive director says they’ll be ready for spring training

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 15:00:00 GMT

Amanda Juech

... no matter when it starts.

Monday, I wrote here about Cactus League officials and mayors of cities hosting Spring Training writing to Commissioner Rob Manfred asking for a delay in the start of spring games.

That wasn’t, as you might have guessed, the end of the story. Cactus League Executive Director Bridget Binsbacher told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that Arizona facilities will be ready to go no matter what date is set by MLB to start:

“If it is determined that spring training is going to start on Feb. 27, we’re prepared for that,” Binsbacher told ESPN in an interview. “Our focus is having a safe, secure experience for all involved. We believe we can do that on the 27th. We believe we can do that a month from the 27th.”

Some view this as “backtracking.” I don’t. This statement is quite similar to MLB’s note sent to managers in December asking them to prepare for an on-time start.

Being “prepared” isn’t the same thing as noting circumstances that might prevent things from starting on time.

I will tell you this. In “normal” baseball seasons — what we had before the COVID-19 pandemic upended baseball and the rest of life last March — MLB would have sent out a press release announcing team report dates, dates for “Photo Day” and official game times by now. Like, well before now — last year’s was sent on January 15. The Cubs had previously announced 2020 reporting dates January 9. The fact that nothing like that has happened in 2021 might mean something, or nothing. It’s really impossible to tell.

The MLB Players Association issued a statement Monday after the report of the Cactus League letter:

Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association regarding the Cactus League letter: pic.twitter.com/5j0vGewKC7
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) January 25, 2021

MLB also issued a statement, quoted in Passan’s article:

“As we have previously said publicly, we will continue to consult with public health authorities, medical experts and the players association whether any schedule modifications to the announced start of spring training and the championship season should be made in light of the current COVID-19 environment to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, umpires, MLB employees and other gameday personnel in a sport that plays every day.”

Passan’s article notes that other sports are being played in the Phoenix area:

The concern from officials expressed in it goes against the actions taken by sports franchises and others in the Phoenix area. The Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks are playing regular-season NHL games in Glendale, the Phoenix Suns are having regular-season NBA games downtown, and high schools across the area are participating in all sports.

The San Jose Sharks note interested me. The Sharks aren’t currently being permitted to play in their home arena, as Santa Clara County in California has an ongoing ban on contact sports— the San Francisco 49ers also had to play some “home” games in Arizona. The Sharks will play at least their first two home games in Glendale, Arizona — but unlike the Coyotes, who are selling a small number of tickets to their home games, no tickets will be sold for Sharks “home” games in Glendale. Back to baseball:

One issue with baseball, Binsbacher said, is the influx of tourists — six in 10 who attend spring training games are from out of state, she said — and the packed schedule teams play. “The big difference here,” she said, “is we’ve got 32 to 36 days straight of spring training.”

In the end, I don’t think the request by Cactus League officials was wrong. We are, hopefully, seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic. People are beginning to be vaccinated. As noted in the original letter, cases are expected to drop in Arizona by mid-March; it would likely be much safer to begin spring training then than it would be just three weeks from now, which would be around the time pitchers and catchers typically report to spring camps. Of course, that would create this issue, noted by Passan:

Any spring training delay could theoretically have an effect on the regular season — something the MLBPA is treating as a nonstarter and MLB understands would cause regular-season games to move into October and postseason games to November.

I’ve written previously that I think pushing everything back a month, yes, including having postseason games in November (likely in a bubble for weather reasons) would be a good idea. More fans could likely attend October games than April games. It seems likely MLB might have COVID postponements early on, and adding that to likely April weather postponements could create a scheduling nightmare.

The Cactus League folks had the right idea in their letter, in my view. Sure, it’s fine for MLB, teams, coaches, players to prepare for an on-time start; if it happens that way, they can say they’re prepared. But it is my opinion that a month’s delay would be best for everyone involved, including baseball fans.

As always, we await developments.

Cub Tracks’ snow-capped peaks

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 13:00:00 GMT

#Cubs and #MLB news you can use.

There’s really not much for me to report today. At least not on the baseball side. I could say more stuff about how MLB is alienating fans, and how the Cubs and MLB are both representative of our ongoing national malaise, but those of you who need to know already do, and those who don’t ain’t gonna.

Jake Arrieta throws Friday. The Cubs will probably be there. I wouldn’t mind Jake, based on his peripherals and affordability, as a fourth or fifth starter. Your mileage may vary. Colin Rea, who was in the starter queue, thought Japan would be better than the Cubs. Hmm.

Hibernation might have been a better option. The article pic is of snow on Mt. Lemmon, highest peak in the area. It’s just pretty — no other reason for it.

Here’sCub Tracks Newsand Notes, your every-other-day-except-on-weekends escape from the humdrum.As always, * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font. In the text body. It doesn’t work in the headlines.)

On tonights #BoogClassic

• @BoogSciambi with Antony Rizzo
• @D_Ross3 on the call
• A dominant Kyle Hendricks

: https://t.co/VlOcYjVGyk pic.twitter.com/ZnALyBNtUN
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) January 24, 2021

We brought in a hitting coach for #SandlotToTheShow!@Cubs Minor League hitting coach @FoldenFastpitch takes a look at 3 girls who can rake! pic.twitter.com/mrj9Vwn2WQ
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 25, 2021

Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): These are Wrigley’s greatest moments. “There has been so much history that has taken place at the Friendly Confines that it is nearly an impossible task to narrow it to a short list.”
Lamond Pope (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Cactus League — where the Cubs and White Sox play — asks MLB to delay the start of spring training in Arizona because of COVID-19. “... in view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County — with one of the nation’s highest infection rates...”
Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs have reportedly discussed blockbuster Kris Bryant, Kyle Hendricks deal with Blue Jays. “Not saying it’s ongoing or even realistic.” Brett Taylor adds on. “If the Cubs get an acceptable offer, they will take it.”
Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The Cubs have the 7th best second base prospect in baseball: Chase Strumpf. “Add another layer to the praise...”
Tom Usiak (Prospects 1500): Chicago Cubs 2021 Top 50 prospects. “As Epstein leaves the reigns to Jed Hoyer, the minor league system can be considered in the same condition that he found it.”
Joe Ward (Block Club Chicago*): Legendary Cubs vendor who died from Coronavirus worked Wrigley for decades, ‘Was A Fixture Of The Ballpark’. “Bill Griffin, 88, was the longest-serving vendor in Wrigley Field history. The people he met at Cubs games became like family, helping “Griff” in old age.”

Food for Thought:

“This could be the beginning of a scientific revolution,”https://t.co/lrGni6pHSM
— Futurism (@futurism) January 25, 2021

Studies have shown that the average person believes he or she will live a longer and healthier life than the average person.
— Fact (@Fact) January 25, 2021

Future robocallers might sound just like your friends and family. https://t.co/qBuYcWTUq0
— Futurism (@futurism) January 24, 2021

Thanks for reading!

MLB owners and players can’t make a deal on the universal DH and expanded playoffs

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 20:00:00 GMT

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Par for the course these days.

We’ve spent a lot of time this offseason wondering whether the universal DH would be adopted for MLB in 2021. Teams were told in December to prepare as if it wouldn’t happen.

And now, apparently, it won’t — but there’s another item players and owners can’t agree on:

MLB offered a universal DH if the union agreed to expanded playoffs. Union rebuffed the deal, which included extra money for players, so at least for now there will be no universal DH.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 25, 2021

Buster Olney has the correct take here:

The union's perspective has been the universal DH should not be tied to expanded playoffs. The MLB proposal included the universal DH and the expanded playoffs; the union turned it down.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 25, 2021

Olney is right. These two things should not be connected, but MLB put out the “carrot” of additional money for players in expanded playoffs but ONLY if they would accept the universal DH. Players correctly believe these two things should not be linked.

Both owners and players want the universal DH, but it shouldn’t be a bargaining chip, not now, anyway. It will likely be used as one during the CBA negotiations next offseason, and won’t that be fun?

There’s another reason for players to not necessarily want expanded playoffs:

Many ways for MLBPA to not see this as beneficial.

1. Reduces value of marginal win. If 85-88 wins is the goal for the playoffs, the value of spending in free agency to get to 90+ wins is diminished. Hurts free agency.

(Cont.) https://t.co/OUAv3bW8gQ
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) January 25, 2021

2. Playoff revenue is not split between players and owners. Owners receive playoff TV money. Currently players receive share of gate receipts in postseason. One of reasons owners see expanded playoffs as a big revenue generator.

(Cont.)
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) January 25, 2021

3. So players logically see expanded playoffs as potentially suppressing free agency. And also they see (current) MLB proposals as giving owners a big win for them (expanded playoffs) for a very marginal win for players (universal DH, which owners want too, just not as much).
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) January 25, 2021

This take is also correct.

Beyond that, expanded playoffs are a “careful what you wish for” situation for owners. Why? Because if 12, or 14, or 16 teams (the latter was the case in 2020) make the postseason, yes, it theoretically gets fans more interested in following a club that otherwise would be left out. On the other hand, if a team’s likely going to make it to the October tournament with the expanded postseason, would they really have to expend more effort in September games? It might make it more difficult for owners to sell tickets for September games, or get fans to watch on TV while the NFL is getting under way.

Don’t assume this is the last word on this subject. There were contentious negotiations last spring to get the 60-game season scheduled and played, and things that were rejected at one point came back on the table later. MLB owners and players have been at odds for the last couple of years, and it’s not likely to get any prettier before the CBA negotiations begin next fall. That leads me to believe there will be a labor stoppage in baseball in 2022.

Sorry I can’t bring you better news this Monday afternoon, but we are where we are in the history of baseball, and it’s not a particularly good place.

Mayors of all 8 Cactus League cities ask Rob Manfred to delay spring training

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:30:00 GMT

Getty Images

A letter was sent to the Commissioner on Friday.

Sunday, I wrote about the fact that players from at least one team (Cleveland Indians) have not yet been given specific reporting dates for Spring Training.

Today, a reporter for 12 News in Phoenix has tweeted that the mayors of all eight cities in the Phoenix area who host Spring Training games (Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe, Surprise, Glendale, Peoria and Goodyear), along with the president of the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community (that’s where Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, spring home of the Rockies and Diamondbacks) is located and the Executive Director of the Cactus League have all signed a letter to Commissioner Rob Manfred asking for Spring Training in Arizona to be delayed:

BREAKING Arizona’s Cactus League tells @MLB it wants to delay start of spring training because of Maricopa County’s high COVID infection rate. #12News pic.twitter.com/H61DbDurVY
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) January 25, 2021

Yes, it’s a bit small and hard to read, but the key point made is this:

... in view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County — with one of the nation’s highest infection rates — we believe it is wise to delay the start of spring training to allow the COVID situation to improve here. This position is based on public data from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which projects a sharp decline in infections in Arizona by mid-March (an estimated 9,712 daily infections on February 15 and 3,072 daily infections on March 15).
We understand that any decision to delay spring training cannot be made unilaterally by MLB. As leaders charged with protecting public health, and as committed, longtime partners in the spring training industry, we want you to know we stand united on this point.

I am 100 percent in agreement with these 10 Arizona leaders. A delay of the start of Spring Training until mid-March, which would likely push back the start of the MLB season to around May 1, is the best logical course MLB could take in order to protect the health and safety of its own players and staff (as well as any fans who might be permitted to attend games), but to ensure that there could be a complete 162-game 2021 MLB season played without interruption.

I hope MLB will take this seriously and delay Spring Training and the 2021 season by about a month.

“As always, we await developments.”

Cubs historical sleuthing: Candlestick Park edition

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:00:00 GMT

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images

This is a good action photo from that era in Cubs history.

Getty Images supplies the following caption with this photo:

Bill Buckner #22 of the Chicago Cubs steals second base beating the tag of Johnnie LeMaster #10 of the San Francisco Giants during an [sic] Major League Baseball game circa 1981 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. Buckner played for the Cubs from 1977-84.

All right, we’ve got a starting point, at least.

The Cubs wore that style of road uniform from 1978-81. The Giants wore that style of home uniform in all those years, so that doesn’t narrow it down any.

Johnnie LeMaster played 12 seasons in the big leagues, the first 11 with the Giants. A good fielder, he couldn’t hit — even by the standards of the time. He hit .222/.277/.289 — not for one year, but in over 3,500 plate appearances. He had negative career bWAR (-5.4). He played shortstop in all but 10 of his 1,009 career games.

Anyway, let’s go back to the play depicted in the photo. LeMaster played in 16 games against the Cubs at Candlestick Park from 1978-81.

We are obviously looking at a day game here, so that eliminates nine of the 16 games, and Bill Buckner didn’t play in one of the remaining seven, so that leaves us with six games to investigate. We appear to be looking at a play where Bill Buckner appears to be pulling into second base with a standup double, with a throw that was just a bit late.

There is only one such play in any of those six games. On Saturday, September 5, 1981, in the top of the seventh inning with the Cubs already leading 7-0, Buckner came to bat with Steve Henderson on third base and two out. Buckner hit a double to right. Obviously on a hit like that, Henderson would have scored easily from third and a play was made on Buckner at second, but he was safe.

Buckner had also homered earlier in the game and the Cubs won 8-2 behind a complete-game performance by Mike Krukow, who struck out 11. Krukow, of course, eventually played for the Giants and has been one of their TV broadcasters since 1994.

The Pirates’ trade of Jameson Taillon is a symptom of what’s wrong with baseball

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 15:00:00 GMT

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

NARRATOR: It’s not going to get better from here.

Jameson Taillon was the Pirates’ No. 1 pick in 2010 (second overall). He appeared ready to break out after a fine 2018 season, only to go down early in 2019 and have Tommy John surgery, which he spent 2020 rehabbing from. (The photo is from a rehab session last September.)

He wasn’t going to be expensive for the Pirates in 2021 — they had signed him to a $2.25 million deal, avoiding arbitration. He can’t be a free agent until after 2022.

But the Pirates didn’t even want that on their team in 2021, so they traded him to the Yankees Sunday:

The New York Yankees have acquired RHP Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Roansy Contreras, INF Maikol Escotto, OF Canaan Smith and RHP Miguel Yajure.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) January 24, 2021

The prospects are supposed to be decent, all ranked in the Yankees’ Top 21. But that’s not all the Pirates have done in recent years:

The Pirates made the playoffs in 2013, '14 and '15. Since then, they've traded away Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Charlie Morton, Tyler Glasnow, Neil Walker, Mark Melancon, Francisco Liriano, Daniel Hudson, Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) January 24, 2021

Yikes. That’s pretty much an All-Star team of the last several years. And this is the result:

FanGraphs was already projecting the #Pirates to have the fewest WAR in 2021 (14.2) *before* this trade. There's now just one 2+ WAR player left in Pittsburgh, Ke'Bryan Hayes. https://t.co/qWHNcBuiEd
— Nathaniel Rakich (@baseballot) January 24, 2021

Looking at the Pirates’ 40-man roster, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Adam Frazier, Gregory Polanco and Kevin Newman are the only regular position players remaining who are likely to produce any sort of decent season in Pittsburgh in 2021. There are a couple of decent young pitchers, including Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker, but... this is a team that had the worst record in MLB’s 60-game season in 2020 (19-41, and they had to win four of their last six, including three straight over the Cubs, to be even that “good”), and it’s entirely possible that if MLB does make it through a 162-game season in 2021, they could threaten the modern loss record (120) set by the Mets in 1962.

Why are they doing this? Money, of course. Spotrac has the Pirates’ 2021 payroll at under $38 million. The Cleveland Indians are listed by Spotrac even lower, at $23.555 million, though that number will go up before the season begins, because on that Spotrac page for Cleveland, only six player salaries are officially listed. Everyone else on the Indians roster on that page is listed as “pre-arb.”

Baseball finds itself at a crossroads in the uncertain times of 2021. We still don’t know whether the season will start on time, though the Commissioner’s office continues to say that it will — even though, as I wrote Sunday, at least one team has not given its players an official Spring Training report date.

The Pirates and Indians are teams that have apparently gone full tear-down. The Cubs seem to be in a limbo of sorts — they traded away their best (and highest-paid) pitcher, reducing the payroll, but have retained other high-paid players, at least for now. It would appear that Cubs strategy is to attempt to compete for a division title in a poor division, which would likely get fans interested, even if it meant another early postseason exit. Then, presuming fans return to Wrigley Field later this year, bringing that revenue back, the team could re-tool for 2022, even if potential free agents Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo depart. Or, if this interregnum of a team doesn’t contend, those players (and others) could be traded at the deadline.

This isn’t a way to run a team, or a sport. Sure, some teams are spending big money this offseason (Padres) and others (Mets, Nationals, Yankees) have made significant signings or trades. But the vast majority of MLB squads are sitting around this offseason doing nothing. Perhaps they are waiting for the price to come down on free agents... or maybe they’re seeing 2021 as a “loss leader” awaiting a return to baseball normalcy in 2022.

But then there’s that expiring labor agreement looming at the end of 2021, and given the contentious negotiations between players and owners to even get a 2020 season played, the talks for a new MLB/MLBPA collective-bargaining agreement aren’t likely to be pretty. We could be looking at a labor stoppage that could cost us most, if not all, of the 2022 season.

I went to see the Cubs play in Pittsburgh in 2009, and found myself sitting next to a man with his son, the younger appearing to be around nine or 10 years old. We got to talking, and the man told me, “We love coming to Pirates games, but we never expect them to win.” (The Cubs, incidentally, swept that three-game series in September 2009.)

2009 was the Pirates’ 17th consecutive losing season; it would take three more before the Bucs finally got to those three straight postseasons noted above.

Is that what baseball’s moguls want the sport to be? Reminiscent of the 1930s, when one or two teams dominated the sport while several others lost 100+ games year after year after year?

Because if they’re not careful, that’s what they’re going to get, and who’s going to want to pay to see that?

Outside the Confines: If I had a hammer . . .

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Remember Hank Aaron. The Pirates trade Jameson Taillon to the Yankees. What is “seam-shifted wake” and why is such a hot topic right now?

Without question, my favorite baseball player when I was a child was Hank Aaron. I was just becoming aware of the sport as Aaron was chasing down Babe Ruth’s home run record. I remember having a baseball card that said “Home Run Leaders: Babe Ruth 714. Henry Aaron, 713. Willie Mays 660,” with all three of their pictures on it. I remember TV shows interrupted with special reports to say that Aaron had hit another home run in the fall of 1973. I was fortunate enough to see Aaron hit a home run for the Brewers at Milwaukee County Stadium — it was probably one of the final three or four home runs of his career.

Despite being one of the greatest players of all-time, Aaron has constantly been underrated. Probably because he played in Milwaukee and Atlanta and not New York or Los Angeles. Additionally, he wasn’t flashy, although anyone who thinks Aaron was quiet or shy wasn’t listening to him. He spoke his mind often, but he did so in a way that didn’t call much attention to himself.

I think the general consensus is that while Aaron was a great player, he wasn’t on the same level as Willie Mays. Now you can certainly make the case that Mays was the better player than Aaron and if you made me choose, I’d probably agree that Mays was a tiny bit better. But it’s a lot closer than many may realize.

So anyway, Aaron’s death hit me pretty hard.

I can’t possibly list all of the tributes to Aaron. I’ve got several here and if I missed your favorite, be sure to share it below. Also, I’ve been back on the job for four OTC so far and in three of them, I’ve had to report the death of a Hall of Famer. Coincidence or something more nefarious? I’m hoping it’s just a coincidence. I’d certainly like to be off the obituary beat sometime soon.

Also, I just want to know why Peter, Paul and Mary just didn’t go down to the hardware store if they needed a hammer. They’re not expensive.

Howard Bryant recalls that Aaron’s impact on the game was about a lot more than home runs.
Bryant also talks about the Aaron he got to know as he was writing a biography of him.
Here’s a collection of people from throughout the game and America offering their thoughts on Aaron’s passing.
Paul Sullivan spoke with Billy Williams and Dusty Baker about the terrible racism that Aaron faced. Both Williams and Baker were close friends of the legend—As a teenager, Williams watched the slightly-older Aaron play in Mobile, AL and Baker was on deck when Aaron hit home run number 715.
Shalise Manza Young talks about Aaron’s role as an icon of the civil rights movement and the responsibility he felt in following in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson.
Thomas Boswell and I have one thing in common: both of us had Aaron as our favorite player as a kid. He had the young Aaron and I had the old one. He notes that Aaron’s “greatness and grace” were without peer. Boswell also remembers that Aaron was the only ballplayer he ever got emotional about meeting.
Michael Baumann notes the tremendous impact Aaron had both on- and off-the-field. There’s a great picture of young Aaron leaving Mobile for the Negro Leagues in 1951 in that piece. Baumann also reminds us of one of Aaron never shied away from trouble. Just six years ago, Aaron remarked that “The bigger difference is back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts,” which led to him receiving another round of hate mail, which he always kept to remind himself of what he was fighting against.
Speaking of those letters, Henry Grabar talked to Carla Koplin Cohn, the woman who went through all those hate letters that Aaron got and who turned the death threats over to the FBI. Let’s be clear, most of the letters were from fans and Koplin Cohn remembers both the good letters and the bad. When Aaron was chasing Babe Ruth’s record, no one in America got more letters than he did.
Tim Brown just says Aaron was a hero. But because it’s Tim Brown, he says it really well.
Mike Lupica also writes that Aaron was a man of tremendous grace.
Claire Smith talks about Aaron and his connection with Black baseball.
ESPN has a wonderful collection of photos from Aaron’s life, with an emphasis on the period of the Ruth home run chase.
Tyler Kepner remembers all the Hall of Fame players we’ve lost in the last 12 months, but notes that even amongst those honored by Cooperstown, there were Hall of Famers and then there was Henry Aaron.
It’s not enough that Aaron was a tremendous man. He was also a tremendous player. David Schoenfield argues that Aaron was one of the five greatest players of all-time.
Why was Aaron so great? Neil Paine argues that no one was more consistent than Aaron.
Zack Kram looks at Aaron’s statistics and has 44 numbers that stand out in Number 44’s career.
Jayson Stark also has Aaron’s career by the numbers. (The Athletic sub. req.) If you took out all 755 of Aaron’s home runs, he’d still have 3000 hits.
Dayn Perry argues that the Atlanta Braves should change their name to the “Atlanta Hammers” to honor Aaron. That is a surprisingly good idea.
On to the sport of today for a while, although we’ll return to Aaron at the end. The Pirates traded Jameson Taillon to the Yankees for four minor leaguers. Taillon missed all of 2020 after Tommy John surgery and the Pirates are planning to replace all their players with unpaid interns for the 2021 season. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is angry he didn’t think of that first.
Bradford Doolittle looks at the benefits and risks for the Yankees in acquiring Taillon. (ESPN+ sub. req.) Doolittle thinks the deal has tremendous upside, but worries about the risk the Yankees are taking on.
Mike Axisa thinks that the Yankees counting on Taillon and Corey Kluber to stay healthy is probably a mistake, especially since this means that Masahiro Tanaka has probably thrown his last pitch for the Bombers.
The Nationals have signed reliever Brad Hand to a one-year, $10.5 million deal.
The Padres have re-signed infielderJurickson Profar to a three-year, $21 million deal.
The Red Sox have signed utility man Enrique Hernandez to a two-year, $14 million deal.
Buster Olney explains how the Blue Jays were able to sign free agent outfielder George Springer. (ESPN+ sub. req.) Olney also offers his memories of Hank Aaron.
Pedro Sandoval accepted a minor league deal with the Braves.
A look at the biggest winners and losers of the off-season. I’m sure the Cubs wouldn’t be on the loser list if this article was written after the Austin Romine signing.
This really deserves better than to be at the end of a list of Henry Aaron tributes, but Eno Sarris explains what “seam-shifted wake” is (The Athletic sub. req.) and why it can explain why pitchers like Kyle Hendricks (and many others) are so good.
If you don’t have an Athletic subscription, then Ben Clemens explains why “seam-shifted wake” is going to be the talk of baseball in the near future.
Ken Rosenthal writes an open letter to Theo Epstein about how to fix the game of baseball. (The Athletic sub. req.)
Jay Jaffe has the story the last super-consistent Hall-of-Famer to die, pitcher Don Sutton. Again, get me off the obit beat.
Meghan Montemurro explains how 26-year-old Mike Adams added nearly 10 mph on to his fastball and went from playing in a weekend men’s adult league to getting signed by the Phillies this winter. (The Athletic sub. req.) A great story right out of the movie The Rookie. Before this, Adams only professional experience was one year in the independent Can-Am League. And he was bad there.
Returning to Aaron, Ashton Edmunds went to the site of home run number 715 to talk to the people who have paid their respects there since his passing.
And finally, what if Aaron and Mays had been teammates? Anthony Castrovince notes that were it not for $50, they might have both played for the Giants. At least that’s what the legend says. Print the legend.

Here’s to better days ahead, Buster.

Baseball history unpacked, January 25

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Getty Images

Scenes from the rich tapestry of the great game.

... on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a lightheartedCubs-centric look at baseball’s past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along as we review select scenes from the rich tapestry of Chicago CubsandMajor League Baseball history*.

Today in baseball history:

1945 -Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping and Del Webb purchase the New York Yankees for $2.8 million from the heirs of previous owner Jacob Ruppert. The new owners announce that Ed Barrow will remain in place as general manager, but a month later they will install MacPhail as GM. (3)
1949 - Lou Boudreau signs a two-year contract worth $65,000 with the World Champion Indians to remain the team’s player-manager. The future Hall of Famer will pilot the Tribe for nine years, six as a player, and will compile a 728-649 (.529) record with the club. (1)
1974 - Ray Kroc, fast-food entrepreneur (McDonald’s), buys the San Diego Padres for $12 million. (2)
1983 - The White Sox trade pitchers Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout to the Cubs for Dick Tidrow and Randy Martz, shortstop Scott Fletcher, and first baseman Pat Tabler. Trout will prove to be the key player in the deal as the left-hander will post a 43-38 record during his five seasons on the north side of Chicago. (1)
2015 - Rob Manfred takes over for Bud Selig as Commissioner of baseball. (3)

Cubs birthdays: Fred Glade, Jimmy Adair, Mel Roach, Jose Macias, Dan Serafini.

Common sources:

(1) — The National Pastime.
(2) — Today in Baseball History.
(3) — Baseball Reference.
(4) — Society for American Baseball Research.
(5) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
(6) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.

*We vet each item as much as time allows. Please let us know if an item is in error, especially if you have a source. Thanks for reading.

The Cubs’ offseason inaction is maddening

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 18:00:00 GMT

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Does management have a plan? If so, it’s pretty opaque.

The Cubs’ off-season stands somewhere between “dawdling” and “thumb-twiddling,” despite the addition of catcher Austin Romine. I grasp that a trade of a big-name, big-ticket player or more might need to precede any major additions. However, with the 40-man roster at 36, at some point, running that to full might be useful eventually. This was my mindset when I saw this MLBTR headline on Saturday about the Braves making a couple of waiver claims that could prove useful.

You might not be familiar with corner outfielder Kyle Garlick or reliever Victor Arano. Arano has 74⅔ innings of MLB time over 73 outings with the Phillies from 2017-19. He has slightly over two years of MLB service time with an ERA of 2.65. Fangraphs valued him at $200,000 in 2020 after a bit over $6 million in 2019. He will make roughly league minimum in 2021.

Garlick homered for the Dodgers in 2019, had an OPS+ that year of 118 as a part-time fill-in, and will make league minimum next season. These seem like the low-risk types of players the Cubs should be filling their roster with. Alas, no.

The Braves, who had a better record in 2020, claimed both Arano and Garlick this weekend. Which means, the Cubs were "Naaah, we're good," regarding both players, despite having four 40-man roster spots available. It's not that either or both would be lead-pipe cinches to be contributors in 2021 or beyond. Far from it. They were inexpensive, have team control if the light bulb goes on, and Garlick could be freely sent to Iowa for seasoning, if needed.

At some point, a plan should become apparent. Hoyer hasn't represented that a plan exists. If Garlick or Arano showed up and looked hopeless, they could then be run through waivers, themselves. No harm, no foul, as it were. However, the Braves bought in on both. Who is better at assessing talent, in your eyes?

Perhaps the Cubs are saving a roster spot for a player or two invited to camp. That could be. However, if PJ Higgins or Shelby Miller represent in Mesa, Dillon Maples or Gray Fenter could be ushered aside. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a few pitchers have longer-term injuries this spring. If a player goes on the 60-day injured list, that 40-man roster spot is refunded. Bringing in Arano and/or Garlick would have given the Cubs a month or more to kick the tires. The team was uninterested.

It's not I know who will work out. However, if the Braves buy in on a player as the Cubs are disinterested, it gets more frustrating to see players ignored when money isn't the reason.

The Reds, over the last few days, have traded for two similarly-named relief pitchers against a better team's 40-man crunch. Were those good trades? Will they have surrendered too much? It could be, but by using that strategy, they've passed the Cubs with 37 on their 40 man, as the Cubs hang at 36. The Cubs could have gone to 38, but passed.

In need of 40-man roster space, #BlueJays have traded right-hander Hector Perez to the Reds for a player to be named later or cash per team
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) January 22, 2021

Welcome to Reds Country, LHP Cionel Pérez!

The #Reds today acquired Pérez from the Astros in exchange for minor league C Luke Berryhill. The 40-man roster is now at 37. pic.twitter.com/s7RSU8gssa
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) January 23, 2021

Perhaps the Cubs plan to sign five players to big-league contracts before the incoming snow stops. Maybe their computers don't like a reliever with three successive above-zero value seasons. Perhaps they have other red flags. At some point, though, adding players to the 40-man limit might be helpful. It might even give a hint of what any plan is. If one exists.

Here’s another clue that MLB Spring Training might not start on time

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 15:00:00 GMT

You have to read the tea leaves whenever you find them.

As you know, I have long been convinced that Major League Baseball might have to delay a start to Spring Training and the 2021 season because we are not yet out of the woods regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the fact that the Cubs sent preliminary information about seating at Sloan Park this year to season-ticket holders on Friday, this cleveland.com article about Indians spring preps provides a clue that delays might be in store:

The Indians made three players available on Zoom calls on Thursday and Friday. Newcomers Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez were introduced to the Cleveland media on Thursday and Triston McKenzie spoke Friday. All three said they have yet to be told when to report to camp.
Traditionally that date would have been embedded in their minds for months.

Oh.

Now, things are enough in flux that certainly we might not have expected players to have a date etched in stone for “months,” given everything that’s happened.

But scheduled Spring Training openers are now fewer than five weeks away. Reporting dates are generally about 10 days before that, so we’re fewer than four weeks to said reporting dates. Players would generally have arranged accommodations in spring training sites by now, but how can they do that if they don’t have dates certain?

Beyond that, per the cleveland.com article by Paul Hoynes linked above:

MLB continues to debate how many players it can safely have in spring training facilities at the same time. Right now it sounds like only the 40-man roster and players targeted for Class AAA teams will train at the same time.
Executives trying to put together their teams are in a jam. Roster sizes for the regular season have yet to be determined. In the 60-game sprint last year, teams opened with 30 players and then cut down to 28. Teams could also carry a taxi squad of three to five players on road games.
Regarding the continuation of the DH in both leagues — it was used for the first time in the National League last season — the decision rests with negotiations between owners and the MLB Players Association. It may not be decided until right before the regular season. That won’t help roster-building plans in the NL.

None of that should be a surprise to you. All of this has been up in the air since the end of the 2020 season, and literally none of it has been decided for sure, although NL teams were told in December to prepare as if they wouldn’t have the universal DH.

Given the fact that people are beginning to be vaccinated, we might be seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel re: the pandemic, though it’s not a very bright light, yet. I continue to believe that MLB’s best option would be to postpone everything by about a month, have spring training in April and a season starting in May. They could either shorten the season by about 30 games (which comes with its own issues, not least of which is player compensation) or play 162 games either by squishing in a bunch of doubleheaders with seven-inning games or extending the season through October. The latter brings problems with TV partners, who want baseball’s postseason complete by the beginning of November.

Starting on time, with the likelihood that games will have to be postponed due to COVID-19, brings another issue — bad weather in many northern cities. Thus MLB would likely be adding weather postponements to COVID postponements, and making up games like that is problematic to begin with. You have seen what’s happened when teams that come to Wrigley Field only once a year do so in April and run into bad weather, resulting in games being played in horrific conditions (April 14, 2018 vs. the Braves is a perfect example). The schedule-makers did it to the Braves again this year — they’re currently scheduled at Wrigley April 16-18, and for good measure the Mets are at Wrigley right after that, April 20-22.

That’s bad scheduling regardless. Doing it during a pandemic is irresponsible.

Baseball should push things back a month. They might wind up having to do it for reasons beyond their control. They should take charge and do that now.

Cub Tracks’ blue light special

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Photo by Tory Parrish/Newsday RM via Getty Images

#Cubs and #MLB news you can use.

Leaving aside the discussion of the benefits pro and con of late-stage capitalism, gentrification, and their effects on the body politic that yesterday’s comments could precipitate, I think we can all agree that the Cubs are in pretty poor shape at present and don’t seem terribly interested in getting much better in the near future.

I don’t imagine players are too keen on locking up big chunks of their playing days to wait for resolution of this fiasco. If I were in that spot, I wouldn’t have the degree of trust necessary to thinking that such resolution and a return to competitiveness will actually occur, and I am resigned to seeing the rest of the ‘core’ drift away like the monster on that ice floe.

"Long after I'm not here, I'll still be here."

Mr. Cub forever. pic.twitter.com/F4zgcl1TV7
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) January 23, 2021

A classic photo of Ernie Banks and Hank Aaron at Wrigley Field. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/WAn3Uig9qe
— CubWin (@CubWin) January 22, 2021

The #Cubs today agreed to terms with catcher Austin Romine on a 2021 major league contract. pic.twitter.com/Jw6gxxXPwR
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) January 23, 2021

21 years old
80-grade fastball
Has hit 102 mph

The sky's the limit for #Cubs' Brailyn Marquez.

Here's where he ranks on the 2021 list of #MLB's Top 10 LHP prospects: https://t.co/9voCkufmtM pic.twitter.com/oqo22tLfFW
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) January 20, 2021

Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs roster still rockin’ that swiss cheese thing. “... even as the Cubs don’t have a lot of money to offer free agents, they sure can offer clear opportunities for playing time!”
Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): What are the next moves for the Cubs? “... free agency only emphasized Chicago’s ongoing need for rotation help and depth...”
Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): How Cubs’ scouting and player-development departments are making up for lost time after unpredictable 2020. “... the Cubs’ amateur scouting and player-development departments are adjusting to get the most out of the next wave of prospects.”
Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs Farm Boss Matt Dorey explains more aggressive development philosophy, touts several standout prospects. “... the only promise of freedom is a farm system that is going to have to start yielding new stars.”
Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Cubs International Director Louie Eljaua dishes on newest international free agent class. “It’s crazy how Javy is a silent recruiter for us,” Eljaua said.
Marquee Sports Network*: Ian Happ on Jon Lester’s impact: ‘He changed this organization’. “He was the most prepared player, the most prepared pitcher I’ve ever seen.” +[VIDEO]

Food for Thought:

"If they survived 41,000 years, I have no idea what the upper limit is." https://t.co/Y4pkAFLHHN
— Futurism (@futurism) January 23, 2021

Why The 'Happy Face Crater' on Mars Is Happier Than Everhttps://t.co/133DGO5R3K
— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) January 23, 2021

Space station observations reveal where a bizarre kind of lightning called a blue jet comes from. https://t.co/SWQsHkLPlv
— Science News (@ScienceNews) January 23, 2021

Thanks for reading.

An improvement Theo Epstein should recommend to MLB, and why it won't sell

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 19:30:00 GMT

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Theo’s got a tough job ahead of him.

A fun game since Theo Epstein was named a MLB consultant is “recommendations Theo Epstein should make.” While Epstein is wise enough to have ideas, and has some MLB lobbying ability, the game’s serious problems likely have to be negotiated between owners and players. Epstein has one aspect of professional baseball he can champion as well as anyone, but it's likely to go unfixed.

To discuss the problem, let's go back to the mid-1980s. When players were drafted, there was no fanfare. Or MLB TV coverage. Players received an official telegram notifying them of their selection. There were no bonus pools. The player agreed (and signed), or didn't (and went on with his life).

In the late 2000s, teams had specific dollar amounts attached to selections. They couldn't go over said limits without running it by the Commissioner. This threat prevented many teams from aggressively shopping on draft day. This was the draft-day culture when Epstein was hired by the Cubs. Before his first draft in Chicago, draft spending had been firmly handcuffed.

Specific choices were assigned certain slot values, and exceeding the total team amounts by a specified limit would subtract future draft selections. No team has challenged that. What limiting spending has wrought is either shocking, or entirely predictable. Not only do teams with horrific records select first, they get the most to spend. Lose 100 games, eat at a posh buffet. Win 95, select late every round, and be limited to $4.5 million in bonus spending. Since owners enjoy cost-controlled talent, do the math.

Epstein's Cubs (and Red Sox) each struggled on occasion. He grasps the importance of developing talent well, whether he nailed it or not. A step to limit so-called tanking could be to stop rewarding teams for being bad. While some prefer somewhat severing draft order from win-loss record (I'm not entirely opposed), I'd prefer to sever draft spending from win-loss success. Let every team spend up to $8 million in signing bonuses, unless they've lost draft picks (through free agent compensation or other punitive measures, like the Astros). Acknowledge the importance of the draft, and let the better front offices gain the full benefit of more spending power. Let teams that select earlier spend a million or two more in total, not twice as much, or more.

If a team is totally sunk for the season in late September, adjust playing time because of it. Planning "losses with benefits" shouldn't kick in in July. Or March. Or December. With an international draft likely due soon, the teams at the bottom may soon have the first shot at all the best talent. I doubt that will be a temptation. (Laughs hysterically.)

While I dig the idea of normalizing spending, it won't play. The fear is, as always, envy. The smaller markets, and teams with less-efficient development pipelines, would run frightened to Mr. Baseball One, Rob Manfred. "But, then, the teams that want to win will draft and sign hard-to-sign preps in later rounds." And, they'd be right. Teams that want to win will push envelopes. Billionaires committed to $80 to $120 million payrolls would lose a coveted edge.

To find a solution to “fix” baseball, 23 owners have to agree with 50 percent-plus-one of the players union. That's tough to do, as both sides want the larger taffy portion on their half of the apple.

Cubs historical sleuthing: Reds vs. Cubs edition

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Bettmann/Contributor

Another slice of team history.

Getty Images supplied the following caption to the photo:

Cincinnati Reds short stop Dave Concepcion leaps over Chicago Cubs Gary Martin as he slides in at 2nd, on the front end of a doubleplay, during the second inning of the first game of a double header in Chicago, Illinois.

Well. First, that’s not “Gary” Martin, it’s Jerry Martin, who played for the Cubs in 1979 and 1980. He had been acquired from the Phillies, along with Barry Foote and Ted Sizemore for Greg Gross, Dave Rader and Manny Trillo. While Foote and Martin played reasonably well for the Cubs, this was not a good trade. Trillo had several good years for the Phillies and played in the 1980 World Series, eventually returning to the Cubs in 1986. Gross, who had a 17-year career that ended in 1989, was an excellent bench player. He always posted good OBPs (career .372), rarely struck out (250 times in 4,355 plate appearances) and had 143 career pinch hits, which ranks fifth in MLB history. He’d have been a really nice player to have on the 1984 NL East champion Cubs.

Oh, yes, the photo. I went under the assumption that the game details listed in the caption were correct: The first game of a doubleheader, second inning.

The Cubs played two doubleheaders against the Reds at Wrigley Field in Jerry Martin’s two years with the team: Sunday, July 22, 1979 and Saturday, September 6, 1980.

The PBP of the September 6, 1980 first game matches what we see here. Jim Tracy and Martin singled to lead off the bottom of the second inning, and Tim Blackwell hit into a double play. This is a photo of Martin sliding somewhat out of the baseline attempting to break up the DP, something you can’t really do now under the “Chase Utley Rule.”

The 1980 Cubs were a pretty bad team, losing 98 games, but they won this one. They went into the bottom of the ninth trailing 3-2. Mike Vail doubled in the tying run, and in the 10th, Bill Buckner singled and Cliff Johnson was hit by a pitch. Carlos Lezcano attempted a bunt, but Reds third baseman Ray Knight threw the ball away and Buckner scored the winning run.

As for Martin, he hit .250 /.302/.437 with 42 home runs in his two years with the Cubs, but he was such a lousy fielder that those two seasons wound up with negative bWAR (-0.8). In December 1980 the Cubs traded Martin and Jesus Figueroa to the Giants for Phil Nastu and Joe Strain. Nastu never played a single MLB game for the Cubs and Strain, after being the Opening Day Cubs second baseman in 1981, wound up going 14-for-74 (.189) in 25 games the rest of that year, never playing in the majors again.

Such were the dying years of the Wrigley regime.

Cub Tracks opens up

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

#Cubs and #MLB news you can use.

It’s almost as if not being able to stand anyone else making a profit and buying up the whole block was a myopic business decision and the Ricketts ~~Cubs~~ asking the fans to pay for it is asinine.

Almost. Rob the poor, pay the rich.

Wonderful. Now I’m off to do my part by watching the third episode of WandaVision.

RIP Henry Aaron, ‘the standard of greatness’.

Saddened to say today I lost one of my heroes, Henry Aaron. I was so Happy when I saw a man of color break the home run record. A great man both on and off the field. I send my love to the Aaron family. pic.twitter.com/2yXVjdn4X4
— Fergie Jenkins (@fergieajenkins) January 22, 2021

An American hero and baseball legend. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of Mr. Aaron's family and friends. I am proud every day to wear #44. RIP
— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) January 22, 2021

Ian Happ drove 96 miles west of Chicago to make a surprise visit to Matt Henkel, bearing gifts and words of encouragement as the lifelong #Cubs fan continues his battle with brain cancer

“Something never in a million years you think would happen”https://t.co/JP7gDTfnHK
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) January 22, 2021

Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): During his lifetime, baseball legend Hank Aaron overcame virulent racism few others have experienced. Chicago Cubs great Billy Williams witnessed it firsthand. “He taught us how to carry yourself in the game...” Williams said.
Phil Rogers (Forbes* {$}): Chicago Cubs went looking for Ernie Banks only after seeing Aaron bring fans to the ballpark. “Banks beat him to the National League but it was Aaron who really blazed the trail for Mr. Cub.”
Joe Collins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Aaron’s Cubs dominance summed up in one crazy stat. “Aaron hit 50 home runs at Wrigley Field, more than any other visiting ballpark.”
Marquee Sports Network*: Cubs 360: How the Players Alliance is helping to change baseball. “The fact that they toured the country is unprecedented,” Doug Glanville said.
Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): What are the next moves for the Cubs? “... Chicago appears to be searching for options on a budget.”
Rick Morrissey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs and chairman Tom Ricketts are bringing back that old, painful, very familiar feeling. “The franchise is tearing itself down again for reasons that have to do with money and line items, not pride, loyalty or even victories. It is crying poor. Nobody is buying it.”

Molly Walker (NY Post*): Cubs star Kris Bryant is unhappy with trade rumors and ESPN. ““Must be a slow news day to take something genuine and turn it into something out of context. Do better @espn#clickbait,” he wrote.” Russell Dorsey seconds that emotion. Evan Altman keeps an even keel. Jesse Rogers’ article.
Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Bryant says the Cubs were at the top of Bryce Harper’s free agent list. “... anyone who was around at the time remembers how clearly Harper seemed to be in the Cubs plans.”
Bryan Smith (Bleacher Nation*): David Bote has been bad against Lefties, but does that mean Bote *is* bad against lefties? “... Bote could return to the successful lefty masher we saw in 2018.”
670 The Score*: Ian Happ on heading to arbitration with Cubs: ‘It’s part of the job’. “Happ plans to attend his own arbitration hearing.”
Todd Johnson (Cubs Insider*): Baseball Prospectus names 4 Cubs Prospects in their Top 101 List. “Brailyn Marquez (63) was the highest-ranked Cub, followed by Brennen Davis (78), Ed Howard (88), and Miguel Amaya (89).”
Marquee Sports Network*: Farm director Matt Dorey on Cubs’ top prospects. [+AUDIO]
Bill Ladson (MLB.com*): Willie Harris eager to start coaching stint with Cubs. “Harris will be doing more than just waving runners home, as he will also be an outfield and baserunning coach.”
Phil Rosenthal (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ESPN makes clear how it views ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ by bringing back Alex Rodriguez and Matt Vasgersian. Just be grateful for the clarity. “... something to be talked over rather than talked about.”

Food for Thought:

Here's why that's a big deal. https://t.co/B5WQRRzEx0
— Futurism (@futurism) January 22, 2021

Giant Predatory Worms Once Roamed The Ancient Seabed, Scientists Sayhttps://t.co/3XEaftuk3o
— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) January 21, 2021

Stunning. https://t.co/g4PktDAN8Z
— Futurism (@futurism) January 22, 2021

Thanks for reading.

Cubs announce seating arrangements for 2021 spring training games at Sloan Park

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 23:10:00 GMT

Al Yellon

There are still unanswered questions, even after the email sent to spring season-ticket holders.

The first scheduled Cubs 2021 Spring Training game is five weeks from Saturday. Per the schedule, it’ll happen Saturday, February 27 vs. the Dodgers at Sloan Park.

Major League Baseball has told teams to expect to start on time this year. Whether that happens or not is still an open question, but late Friday the Cubs sent an email to Sloan Park season-ticket holders about plans regarding seating for this year’s games.

In part, the email reads:

As part of updated guidance from MLB and in coordination with requirements and guidelines, we are shifting to limited, socially distanced pod-style seating for Spring Training games at Sloan Park in 2021. This seating method has been used by other venues and implemented by MLB during the 2020 World Series. Please note our capacity and ticket offerings may change, depending on health factors and protocols.
In order to accommodate this shift, we are unable to offer Spring Training Season Ticket Holders their season ticket seat locations for the 2021 season. However, we will provide our valued Spring Training Season Ticket Holders with priority access to purchase single game tickets before the general public.

The email has an attached form where Sloan Park STH can apply for either a refund or credit for the 2021 payment. It’s due by next Wednesday, January 27. The team says with no response, a credit will automatically be issued.

Further:

If you select credit, we will apply a credit equal to the total payment made for your 2021 season tickets to your account. Credit can be applied toward the cost of 2021 single game tickets at Sloan Park or your 2022 Spring Training season ticket balance, if applicable.

What this doesn’t say is whether season-ticket holders would be offered these single-game tickets at an equivalent price to what they had previously paid, or whether they’d have to pay the much higher single-game prices. I’ve reached out for clarification on this. It also doesn’t say how many tickets will be sold per game for the 18 games currently scheduled at Sloan Park.

One last note on the procedures for this spring at Sloan Park from the email:

Please note masks will be required at Sloan Park, and the Cubs will take every precaution to utilize enhanced cleaning procedures to clean the ballpark before, during and after every game. Detailed information on our policies and protocols will be shared closer to the start of the season.

So, I’ve got more questions than answers based on this email. As I noted, I have reached out to the Cubs for clarification, and will post more information about spring games when I receive it.

Cubs sign catcher Austin Romine

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:25:10 GMT

Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

This is good, because before this the Cubs had only one catcher on their 40-man roster with MLB experience.

Earlier Friday, I wrote this article noting some players the Cubs could actually afford to sign, given that they are apparently limiting 2021 signings to $1 million or less. The article was partly serious and partly tongue-in-cheek.

One of the players I listed in the article was Austin Romine.

Uh... the Cubs just signed Austin Romine:

The Cubs and C Austin Romine have agreed to a one-year deal, per source. The deal is pending physical.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 22, 2021

Here’s what I wrote about Romine in the earlier article:

He’s 32 and had some decent years for the Yankees, including actually appearing in three postseason games. He didn’t hit well for the Tigers in 2020 (.238/.259/.323 in 135 PA), so could probably be signed for around $1 million. Ranks 47th of 62 catchers in pitch framing, per Statcast.

No contract terms for Romine have yet been revealed, but I’d guess it’ll be somewhere in the $1 million range. Mark Feinsand’s tweet seems to indicate this is a major-league deal, though there has not yet been a press release from the Cubs.

It was noted in the comments to my earlier article that one tack the Cubs (or any team) could take in signing free agents is to look at guys who had good years in 2019, but not so much in 2020. This is a logical viewpoint. The 2020 season was so weird, bizarre and crazy for so many reasons that it’s reasonable to assume that players could return to a previous level of performance in 2021. (We hope that’s the case for Cubs such as Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo, too.)

This seems a reasonable signing to back up Willson Contreras. Romine’s brother Andrew and father Kevin also played major league baseball.