For the New York Yankees and the other 29 MLB teams, it’s back to baseball and sooner than later. Last night I reported that the MLBPA (players union) voted to reject the owner’s last offer of a 60 games season, setting in motion the Commissioner’s option of imposing a season on the players. Manfred announced that he would be making an announcement soon. In a rather unusual move, he acted quickly and decisively.
He, in an apparent olive branch to the players, imposed a 60 game season rather than the threatened 40 game season. There are also some additional benefits for the players that include being paid 104% of their prorated salaries.
- The universal DH for two years
- A guaranteed $25 million in playoff pools in 2020
- $33 million in forgiven salary advances that would increase the take-home pay of 61% of Major League players
- Overall earnings for players of 104 percent of prorated salary
- Over the last two days, MLB agreed to remove expanded Postseason in 2021 to address player concerns
With the final details yet to be released, it appears that for the New York Yankees, a three-week spring training 2.0 will start by July 1st. The training will take place at Yankees Stadium instead of George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa as the Yankees believe it will be safer there than in Florida where the virus is becoming an increasing problem.
The Yankees will have three weeks to get ready for a baseball season that will start on July 24 or 25th. A 60 game season will look very different in training as well as during the season. The Yankees will still be favorites going into the expanded postseason. But with the short-season, every game will take on a postseason feel and intensity. In a season this short, a 10-day slump could be the end of World Series hopes.
With training starting, the New York Yankees are in much better shape injury-wise than when the season was supposed to start. Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain), Gary Sanchez (back pain), and James Paxton (back surgery) are now ready to play. The only question that remains is if Aaron Hicks returning from Tommy John surgery will be ready during spring training or in the first weeks of the season. Of course, Luis Severino will be out the whole season after his Tommy John surgery. The shortened season will also mean that the Yankees will not see the suspended Domingo German during the regular season.
That leaves the biggest question of all. That question will cause all eyes to be on slugger Aaron Judge during spring training to determine if the star player will be ready and able to play. During the first spring training, Judge never played in a game as he nursed his sore shoulder that turned out to be a rib fracture. While many players scattered when the practice was closed down, Judge stayed at the Tampa complex, where he could work out and receive regular treatment and rehab. The most recent report from hitting coach Marcus Thames is that he hasn’t swung a bat but is eager to get his swing going.
Manager Aaron Boone will certainly be careful with Judge to not stress that injury. He would most likely want him available for any postseason play while ramping him up as necessary during the regular season. Announcements as to his present progress have been vague. Boone will also be careful innings-wise with new pitching ace Gerrit Cole as he ramps back up.
Getting back to the postseason sprint, this season won’t be a marathon of 162 games but a 100-yard dash that will require ramped up play immediately. Players are not built to do that, which is why Boone’s job will be preventing injuries as well as directing the play on the field. As far as pitching is concerned in a regular-season, the arms aren’t built up to pitch nine innings as the season starts. It normally takes several starts to gain full strength. With this season being so short, those in the rotation will see only eight or nine starts in the season compared to a usual 20-24 starts.
Pitchers like Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, and possibly Clarke Schmidt will take on a more important role in long relief at least at the beginning of the season to back up Cole, Paxton, and Tanaka. J.A. Happ and Jordan Montgomery will round out the regular rotation. Whatever the case the New York Yankees excellent bullpen will be more important in the short-season than ever before.
With regular players being more ready and taking less time to ramp up, the lineup should be in good shape. DJ LeMahieu will undoubtedly lead off with Judge 2nd in the lineup with Stanton, Sanchez, Torres, Andujar, mostly likely DH, then Gardner, Voit, and Urshela holding down the remaining slots. If Hick’s is ready, he will most likely be somewhere in the middle of the lineup causing, a flexible last few spots for Boone to play with.
With Miguel Andujar being somewhat of a wild card this year, we may see him alternate with Stanton in left field and even giving rest to Urshela at third base, although Boone will be less likely to rest players in a shortened season. The other wild card is how players will react and if it will affect their play without the energy of fans cheering in the stands. With increasing cases of the coronavirus in half of the states, it is likely there will be no fans in the stands even during the World Series.
With everything in place for a baseball season, the only other controlling factor is the coronavirus. If it shuts down any team, it could shut down all of baseball that would not restart until 2021. Let’s keep our fingers crossed as American needs baseball.