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They should have added an elimination factor to the MLB season. More than 3 people in your org test positive for COVID and you're out for the year. You have to win AND keep people safe to make the post-season. Watch how much more seriously teams would take it.
— Julie DiCaro is writing a book (@JulieDiCaro) July 30, 2020
Maybe more than three, but the general concept seems sound.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:03 am
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.786 winning percentage.
Over the full Covid-shortened season, that translates to a final record of 23-7. Least losses in a season in baseball history.
Comment by Ok Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:07 am
Nice to see the Sox turn it around last night.
Out for the year seems harsh but I do think a team with a big outbreak, shown to not have followed protocols, should suffer some forfeits.
Comment by ChicagoVinny Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:10 am
Cubs hitting and starting pitching is still strong, carrying the club and racking up wins.
I’d say “7” unformed players test positive, the ball club is eliminated. That’s more than enough to show that the club should be out.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:13 am
IF the playoffs are in a Bubble, where should it be?
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:17 am
I thought the purpose of the “taxi squad” was to be able to quickly replace a player who goes down due to injury or disease. I don’t understand why the Marlins & Cards couldn’t have quarantined the positives and restocked their lineup almost ion just a couple days. Test the whole clubhouse every day for 3-4 days after a positive result. Make them play with their backups or forfeit.
Comment by Stu Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:22 am
I like the idea of making all teams play with backups or forfeit. Maybe have a backup squad ready to go that has to play if 3 or more on the main squad test positive.
Quarantine them separately.
Comment by Ok Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:25 am
I’ve actually been saying for some time that we should eliminate teams who have positive results particularly since most of this can be traced to team conduct. What’s happening in the MLB is also a cautionary tale for any colleges that want to attempt sports in the fall. A major league baseball player is being asked to focus their attention on following a set of rules and playing a game that typically earns them $1M+ a year. And yet they’re still not able to do it. What possible reason do we have to believe that a less mature college football player will be able to avoid temptation.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:26 am
Play with backups after quaranting the positive players and testing the rest of the team for negative results. Fine or suspend those that flagrantly violate covid protocols. Pretty harsh to end someones season for just happening to catch a virus.
Comment by Nagidam Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:28 am
MLB should have kept the AAA teams a replacements. If enough guys on the 25 man roster get COVID quarantine everyone and play the AAA guys. It would have put an incentive on the players and management to follow guidelines. The front office would hate paying AAA guys a big league salary and the players would hate losing.
“You’re playing and you think everything is going fine. Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can’t move… you can’t breathe… because you’re in over your head. Like quicksand.” - The Replacements
Comment by Shane Falco Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:34 am
My perspective at this point, not everyone is buying into the shortened season. Some care a lot, some less, some not at all. Basically saying, this season doesn’t count so who cares.
Comment by Back to Work Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:35 am
The concept is sound, unsure what the magic number should be but OW, 7 seems fair. I also don’t understand what a ‘taxi squad’ is for if not to fill in for starters who test positive.
Comment by LoyalVirus Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:36 am
Don’t like the proposal because you can catch it in so many innocent ways (even conceivably catch it from the opposing team). But something like this should have been done - maybe forefeit games when your players are caught breaking the rules.
And this season definitely counts - big asterix of course, but we’ll be talking about this season, who won (if they make it through the whole season), the different strategies for the “sprint season,” etc. for years. It’ll probably even get a display in Cooperstown.
Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:45 am
Nice coupla Sox relievers.
View these as temporary exhibition games.
Comment by walker Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:46 am
- LoyalVirus -
It’s all good.
Frankly, I chose 7 since it’ll be roughly “1 in 4” of the uniformed roster, even after they downsize the rosters going forward.
I just thought, “you can’t keep one in four healthy, you don’t deserve as a club to finish the season”
Still, I’m not sold MLB can finish the season. That’s a whole different discussion to all ball clubs
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:49 am
Put me in the fill in or forfeit camp. Pay players for games played. It is a short season. For a million dollars I would wear a hazmat suit off the field.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:50 am
The bubble idea of Arizona spring training facilities the players rejected doesn’t look real good right now, does it? play or forfeit.
Comment by Fighter of Foo Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:53 am
“IF the playoffs are in a Bubble, where should it be?”
Canada seems to work for Hockey. S/
Comment by Bruce (no not him) Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:56 am
Most importantly, the Cubs are built for the 7 inning double headers. It saves them from the bullpen that OW and I could pitch for. In between Western burb arguments!
Comment by Fighter of Foo Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:56 am
MLB is a good population to look at to see how COVID impacts healthy people. The fatality rate is likely to be zero. Do they want it? Of course not, but they see the value of playing as being worth the risk. Guessing all professional sports combined have a fatality rate of zero. You don’t need to be a professional athlete to be within the population that has a tolerable risk, just need to be a healthy child, adolescent, or adult under 65.
Comment by Ed Equity Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 9:59 am
I like the concept, but believe that as soon as X number test positive, your out it will become to tempting to falsify test results. If you ain’t cheatin you ain’t tryin.
Comment by repete Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 10:03 am
=== Guessing all professional sports combined have a fatality rate of zero===
Over/Under is 0.5?
Tell that first family that loses someone that baseball appreciates the “ultimate sacrifice” so I can watch the National League try out the DH.
=== You don’t need to be a professional athlete to be within the population that has a tolerable risk, just need to be a healthy child, adolescent, or adult under 65.===
Your family first.
More than 1,200 souls passed yesterday.
As Trump says, “It is what it is”?
Nope. That’s unacceptable.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 10:03 am
Bubble sports-not perfect but appears pretty good.
Non-bubble sports-not close to perfect and appear very fragile and could implode any minute.
College and pro football are not bubble sports.
Comment by don the legend Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 10:04 am
There may have been no MLB fatalities, but one Red Sox pitcher already has possibly permanent heart damage from Covid.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/02/red-sox-ace-27-wont-pitch-this-season-because-heart-ailment-linked-covid-19/
This disease is no joke, even to the very healthy.
Comment by ChicagoVinny Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 10:19 am
==become to tempting to falsify test results==
Exactly my fear (see Astros, trash cans)
Comment by Vote Quimby Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 10:27 am
People seem to forget that death is not the only possible outcome of covid.
Major organ damage and having 10 years taken off your life expectancy from the damage as reported in medical reports.
Not to mention possibly passing along to someone else that it could damage or kill.
Comment by Complications Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 10:51 am
Having a shortened season with an elimination factor is a great idea. We already gone through more than half the baseball season and we should try to get at close to normal as possible. That means the World Series must end at least the first week of November as had been the case these last few years.
Comment by Levois J Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 11:06 am
I don’t know how eliminating a team for Covid could work and maintain any integrity. Granted it is already a silly season, but any team told they are done would be a problem.
Comment by SSL Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 11:30 am
When the Marlins outbreak happened, they should have been made to forfeit games- they do that and maybe the other teams get the message and the Cardinals situation doesn’t happen.
Wild to me that MLB didn’t seem to really have a contingency plan for this scenario.
There’s a lot of logistical reasons that made the idea of a full MLB bubble flawed when it was first floated, but in hindsight a kind of NHL style hub set up, planting the 3 divisions in NY/Chicago and the Bay Area and using the MLB and MiLB parks would have been better than trying to pull off travel. But I think most of us has been shown to be naively optimistic that the US would get a handle on things
Comment by In 630 Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 1:48 pm
My argument was for the rules to remain in place: if you can’t field a team, then you forfeit the game. That means if you have to play against the Yankees while your old out of shape mid reliever has to play 3rd base, then so be it.
It’s no coincidence that states that did not take serious action to stop spread also have teams with the most infections: Missouri and Florida. That has me wondering why the Astros haven’t been hit by COVID-19. Perhaps they are cheating and not telling anyone about positive tests? No, they would never do that…
Comment by MG85 Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 5:19 pm
Between Covid absences, opt outs, increased injuries, and the limited schedule where you don’t play many other teams, the competition has been diluted to the point they are really just playing exhibition baseball. So they should play all the games they can and have a little tournament at the end but not cheapen it by calling the championship the World Series, or the winner World Series Champion. No records from this year should be officially recognized for the same reason.
Comment by Captain Obvious Wednesday, Aug 12, 20 @ 8:39 pm