MLB Hot Stove 2019-20

[Dish]

Marlins went to a strip club. Cardinals to a casino. Both teams should have to forfeit their missed games.

[shoothoops]

The Cardinals were tested again this morning 11am Central time. Three of the six positive tests thus far have been staff and three have been players.

[cheebs09]

Lorenzo Cain sitting out the rest of the season. Would not be shocked if Braun pulls the plug as he mentioned taking it day by day.

[4everwarriors]

Shut it down, hey?

[Jockey]

Cain opts out.

[GB Warrior]

Don't see how the season lasts more than a couple more weeks, and that's if the league holds its nose and forges ahead. Keep in mind these are lagging indicators, so even if the MLB were doing more than saying strong words, the damage is done.

You won't convince me that this isn't the outcome Manfred always wanted. Saying they lose money for each game played without fans. Blame the union for not negotiating in good faith, not putting in sufficient employer-driven safeguards, then vilify the players again.

[jficke13]

Every public word out of Manfred's mouth right now is setting up the players to go under the bus when he inevitably cans the season. It's only a matter of time.

Also, get ready for massive labor strife, because Manfred's PR campaign isn't subtle and there's a zero-percent chance the players don't see right through him. (which is really just icing on the cake of what was going to be labor strife anyway, but it never helps to have one party preemptively setting up hit pieces with complicit media in advance).

[Jockey]

Every public word out of Manfred's mouth right now is setting up the players to go under the bus when he inevitably cans the season. It's only a matter of time.

Also, get ready for massive labor strife, because Manfred's PR campaign isn't subtle and there's a zero-percent chance the players don't see right through him. (which is really just icing on the cake of what was going to be labor strife anyway, but it never helps to have one party preemptively setting up hit pieces with complicit media in advance).

+1000

[CreightonWarrior]

Don't go to strip clubs and casinos maybe? Players aren't blameless here.

[jficke13]

Don't go to strip clubs and casinos maybe? Players aren't blameless here.

I mean, sure, but to have the guy who's going to have to be ultimately responsible for canning the experiment to be seeding the whole "if you players don't straighten up and fly right, this might not work" narrative ahead of time it's... uh... not subtle about what he's doing.

Even if he thinks all he is doing is buying himself insurance and he believes they'll pull this off, he's poisoning the well here. 

[CreightonWarrior]

I mean, sure, but to have the guy who's going to have to be ultimately responsible for canning the experiment to be seeding the whole "if you players don't straighten up and fly right, this might not work" narrative ahead of time it's... uh... not subtle about what he's doing.

Even if he thinks all he is doing is buying himself insurance and he believes they'll pull this off, he's poisoning the well here.

Is he wrong though? The game that have been cancelled so far all stemmed from the marlins and Cardinals testing positive and it spreading from there. The marlins internally decided to play despite knowing of positive tests. It got leaked they went to strip clubs. Cardinals tested positive. It got out that they went to casinos. There haven't been any incidents so far not related to those two teams having players being idiots. They're to blame right now.

[wadesworld]

When did these teams go to the casinos and strip clubs? The Marlins has covid going around 4 days into the season. Seems like it would've been contracted before the season began. To pretend covid wouldn't have turned into an issue if the Marlins hadn't gone to a club or Cards hadn't gone to a casino is just as ignorant as thinking the baseball season could work with teams traveling around the country.

[Lennys Tap]

Marlins went to a strip club. Cardinals to a casino. Both teams should have to forfeit their missed games.

Yep.

[Hards Alumni]

Yep.

Subscribe.

[🏀]

They should just be kicked out of the season.

[GB Warrior]

Hope everything is OK with Yoenis Cespedes. Not good.

[JWags85]

Hope everything is OK with Yoenis Cespedes. Not good.

They said they have no reason to believe he is at risk, allegedly after speaking to people in his camp. This is a combination of a dude who has seemingly little desire to put in work after getting his big deal and some injuries recently, and a poorly run organization who put out hasty statements.

[MUBurrow]

They said they have no reason to believe he is at risk, allegedly after speaking to people in his camp. This is a combination of a dude who has seemingly little desire to put in work after getting his big deal and some injuries recently, and a poorly run organization who put out hasty statements.

Yup, this. Mets confirmed he opted out the rest of the season and evidently just flipped them the freedom rockets rather than let them know.

Is he wrong though? The game that have been cancelled so far all stemmed from the marlins and Cardinals testing positive and it spreading from there. The marlins internally decided to play despite knowing of positive tests. It got leaked they went to strip clubs. Cardinals tested positive. It got out that they went to casinos. There haven't been any incidents so far not related to those two teams having players being idiots. They're to blame right now.

Players - and teams if these were team outings - should definitely bear a good brunt of the blame here.  But the reality is that without tight protocols and something resembling bubble-lite, there were always going to be enough individual outliers here to cause problems.  The MLB player pool sample size is just too big that covid wasn't going to get in the clubhouses. 

So while Manfred definitely isn't 100% wrong, his self-crafted PR persona makes him look like just about the strangest oaf I've ever seen.  "I'm not a quitter" - ? He sounds like a cross between Gary Bettman and an average meathead at the gym.  He's come across that way from the beginning too, with the LeBatard Marlins stuff, etc.  Just a very odd choice for the owners to choose as their frontman if they actually want there to be baseball (ed. note - they don't.  The owners won't let there be baseball after this CBA expires unless there is a salary cap, and everything they've done for the past two years has been in service of that.)

[Jockey]

Hate to say it, Burrow, but I agree 100%.

[shoothoops]

After waiting to pitch for 3 days, Jack Flaherty getting in a throwing session and workout, all while not having left his hotel room:

https://twitter.com/Jack9Flaherty/status/1290050299130859520?s=19

[Mr. Nielsen]

David Stearns says Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy is currently resting comfortably in the hospital, should be released in a couple of days after suffering a heart attack Saturday during the Brewers workout. Prognosis for a recovery is good, Stearns said.

[buckchuckler]

Avi in center is a bold choice.

[shoothoops]

Not that it matters, but the Cardinals President denied the Jerry Hairston Jr. rumor that some players went to the Casino.

They are saying someone in their travel party (57 people on the flight) was unknowingly COVID-19 positive prior to Milwaukee arrival on that flight. It quickly spread to 12 other within five days. They believe they have it contained and would next play vs Cubs this upcoming  weekend. We'll see.

Some (Bader, Fowler, Edmonds etc...) were at the outdoor drive in Nelly concert in St. Louis (The name of the venue is Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre) in mid July, but they were wearing masks/social distancing.

[The Sultan]

Not that it matters, but the Cardinals President denied the Jerry Hairston Jr. rumor that some players went to the Casino.

They are saying someone in their travel party (57 people on the flight) was unknowingly COVID-19 positive prior to Milwaukee arrival on that flight. It quickly spread to 12 other within five days. They believe they have it contained and would next play vs Cubs this upcoming  weekend. We'll see.

Some (Bader, Fowler, Edmonds etc...) were at the outdoor drive in Nelly concert in St. Louis (The name of the venue is Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre) in mid July, but they were wearing masks/social distancing.

How can a team make up seven games?

[shoothoops]

How can a team make up seven games?

Many 7 inning doubleheaders, but, with so few off days, that is a challenge.