The COVID-19 pandemic has created a halt in our world which has never been seen during this current generation. On what would have been Major League Baseball‘s opening day, the MLB and Players Association agreed on how the upcoming shortened season will be handled.
A letter from the Commissioner to baseball fans on #OpeningDayAtHome. pic.twitter.com/3CEJwDFSIO
— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2020
According to Ken Rosenthal, players will receive $170 million in advance to spread over two months. The future salaries will be pro-rated on the number of games played in the abbreviated 2020 season. The deal should be completed Friday and it will also put roster moves on hold. This is why the Mets were actively trimming their roster over the last week.
Draft and Service Time Changes
Much like the NFL, MLB will continue to hold their draft as scheduled. There will be at least five rounds to the draft but it puts teams in a tough spot. With the entire NCAA season cancelled and high school season currently on hold, it makes the guessing game for each organization even harder. Some players who were also projected to leave school early may end up remaining at their respective schools to boost their draft stock.
No matter what happens with the season, players will still receive a year of service time as long as they were on the active roster or injured list. This means Yoenis Cespedes, Marcus Stroman, and Justin Wilson are just a few of the guys who will have their futures based off a small sample size. Michael Conforto, Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo headline a strong crew of Mets who will have very little to work off of when they head towards arbitration.