The shit show that was MLB "attempting" to negotiate a deal with the players union is finally over. After the latest rejected deal, commissioner Rob Manfred was forced to go ahead with a 60-game schedule for the 2020 season that will pay players their full rate for those 60 games. In turn, the players can still seek legal action against the league by filing a grievance, as they can claim the league did not negotiate in good faith. (MLB owners didn't, fuck them)
So, no more talking about statements from both sides, here's how the 2020 MLB season will (hopefully) play out.
New Rules
- Universal DH - both the AL and NL will use the DH in the regular season and in the postseason. As of now, this is only set for 2020, but it's expected that the universal DH will stay for good in MLB.
- Runner at 2B to start extra innings - to cut down on long games, teams will now start extra innings with a runner at second base and will play until a team wins. This rule has actually been around in the minor leagues since 2018, to help speed up games.
- Position players can pitch - before the season was postponed, MLB had a rule in place that limited when position players could pitch. That's now all out the window and position players will once again be able to pitch whenever.
- No suspended games - if a game is delayed before it becomes official (5th inning) it won't be suspended. Instead of restarting that game, it will start right back up to when it was stopped.
Schedule
- Each team will play 60 games
- Each team will play 40 games against division rivals
- Each team will play 20 games against interleague division (central vs. central, east vs. east, west vs. west)
- No scheduled doubleheaders
- This is a tentative schedule that can still be tweaked
Obviously the league wants to limit travel, so that's why you're going to be seeing teams staying within their own geographical location for the most part. For the Cubs, this tentative schedule means 10 games against the Cardinals, Brewers, Reds and Pirates, and four games against the White Sox, Indians, Twins, Royals and Tigers.
Rosters
- Transactions - teams have been on a transaction freeze since March, but that will end on Friday at noon ET.
- Trade deadline - the trade deadline will be on Aug. 31
- Up to 60 players invited - there won't be a minor league season so teams will have the chance to have as many as 60 players available to them throughout the season. Half will be on a taxi squad roster that will be assigned to a second location away from the team's home site. List of players must be submitted by 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
- Roster size - teams can carry 30 players on their MLB rosters during the first two weeks of the season, down to 28 for the next two weeks and then down to 26 for the rest of the season. The rule set prior to the season that limited the number of pitchers on a roster to 13 has also been waived.
- Taxi squad players - up to three players on the taxi squad can travel with a team this season. If a team does carry the extra three players one has to be a catcher. Players on the taxi squad will not earn service time.
- 10-day injury list for position players and pitchers. Separate list for COVID-19 cases
So, spring training 2.0 will begin on July 1, at teams home ballparks. You definitely won't see any exhibition games between teams at the start of the month, as the league wants to limit travel. Instead, we'll see lots of intrasquad action.
Opening Day for the 2020 MLB season will be July 23 or 24.
But will we actually get a season?
Fingers crossed.
