The possibility and perils of MLB games in 2020

Can MLB and the MLBPA make a deal by June 1? | Purple Row

We don’t often do this but I’m going to go ahead and bend the rules a bit. Jeff Passan of ESPN had one of his trademark 20 Questions columns go up on Saturday morning and it is a doozy. It’s worth the 8-12 minutes it would take you to read the whole thing BUT I’m going to link to our own Renee Dechert’s write up because she does such a great job summarizing the primary takeaways and tosses out a few things well worth discussing. In short, the window to make a deal happen is small and closing fast, and there’s a decent chance that both players and owners would be highly motivated to make something happen and be willing to flex a little. Here’s hoping!

One thing that Renee didn’t touch on (partially because Passan only briefly mentioned it and it’s probably worth an entire article on its own) is what the games could look like if a number of players opt out. Players who have underlying health concerns or who have family members who do will be given the option (or so it seems at this point) to not play in whatever 2020 games happen while still accruing service time. This is something Rockies players like David Dahl and Scott Oberg would have to think through before taking the field.

But there’s another wrinkle. One anonymous young player who figures to cash in on a big contract when he hits free agency spoke to Passan about some of the things he’s going to have to consider. By the player’s estimation, he figures to net around $200,000 (just over ¹⁄₃ of the league minimum, but obviously far more than most people see in half a decade of working) after taxes and dues if he plays in 2020. This player is asking the question if the risks to his health (both from the coronavirus and just the nature of playing the game) are worth it all when a long-term injury could cost him dearly in the future. He acknowledges that such a choice would get him labeled as “not-a-team-player” in the clubhouse, which may be fair, but this player bringing up such questions is a good reminder that there are a lot of factors on the individual level that go into making any MLB games happening, not just on the union/owners level.

Blackmon on 2020 season, DH in NL | Rockies.com

Charlie Blackmon appeared on MLB Network Radio earlier this week and his conversation was condensed to a 77 second clip talking about his training. I link because, as Justin pointed out in the Saturday Rockpile, the DH seems here to stay but the Rockies best candidate for filling that role does not seem to be a fan.

Colorado Rockies trivia: 5 questions that could stump you | Roxpile

And finally, a fun diversion. The team at Roxpile has been running a series on Rockies trivia and Saturday’s entry from Kevin Henry really does live up to the “questions to stump you” moniker. I refuse to ruin any of them but I will admit to being stumped a few times.

Pensacola Blue Wahoos place stadium on Airbnb | Front Office Sports Twitter

Do you have a spare $1,500? Do you have a large family (or a lot of roomates) with whom you could safely participate in an overnight outing in Pensacola while still observing social distancing protocols? Then the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos have a deal for you! $1,500 a night gets you full access to their stadium. This does not appear to be a joke (and if it is I refuse to do the research to debunk it). So tell us in the comments: what would you do with access to a full stadium for a night (legal responses only, please).

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