Five Questions About The Upcoming 2020 MLB Season

rob manfred mlb

After months of fighting, the MLB and MLBPA finally agreed on safety and testing protocol this past Tuesday, which led to Commissioner Rob Manfred implementing a 60-game schedule. In other words, baseball is coming back in late July.

I’m glad that the MLB will have a season, but I have so many unanswered questions. Unfortunately, some of them will not be answered when the season begins. Some things will have to play themselves out in order to find answers. For now, here are five questions I have for the upcoming season.

How Will COVID-19 Impact The Season?

This question has been brought to you by “Captain Obvious,” but it’s important to address. The coronavirus is still here and wreaking havoc. The mortality rate is not as high as initially predicted, but positive cases are still on the rise in some areas of the country. Some states like Texas, who opened its economy earlier than others, are now scaling back its opening phases. Once the season starts, there are going to be players who test positive. It’s inevitable. They should recover and the data supports that notion. The league will not stop for one player testing positive, but hypothetically, what if half a team tests positive? It’s likely they all recover, but will teams want to continue playing? Will this franchise even have enough players to field a team? The only thing we know is that we don’t know anything. All we can do is hope.

*For the rest of this article, let’s assume COVID-19 is contained and the entire season runs from start to finish.*

Will The Playoffs Expand To 16 Teams?

Baseball may be coming back for a 60-game regular season, but not every detail has been finalized, particularly, the postseason. As of now, the postseason will remain at 10 teams. However, in an interview with AP, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said that he would be “available to discuss it” if there’s interest in postseason expansion. In an unprecedented season, I’m not opposed to adding three additional wild card spots in each league. It gives teams more hopes to keep fighting throughout the season if they stumble out of the gates.

Will The Universal DH Stay In The National League Forever?

One rule that’s been implemented for 2020 is the universal DH, meaning pitchers will not hit this year in the NL. Two words: Thank God. If you’re a baseball purist, turn away. It’s time to implement the universal DH. I don’t want to see pitchers come up to the plate to either strike out on three others or attempt a sacrifice bunt. It’s unnecessary and needs to change. Pitchers in high school and college don’t hit anymore and most pitchers never swing a bat in the minor leagues. With all due respect to Madison Bumgarner, pitchers should never pick up a bat again in the MLB.

Will The Runner On Second Cost Any Teams A Shot At The Playoffs?

In order to shorten extra-inning games and preserve player health, a runner will go to second base at the start of each inning. Call me “Middle Man Dan” because I’m both for and against this rule. In a 60 game season, teams don’t need to be playing 13-inning games in the first month. However, for game 59 with a spot at the playoffs on the line, I might break every window insight if my team missed out on the wild card because they lost a game in extra innings with a runner started on second in extra innings. My compromise would be to implement this new rule up until game 45, and then it goes back to normal from there on out.

Which Teams Are The Favorite To Win The World
Series?

When the dust has settled, who will be holding the “piece of metal” at the end of the season? In a shortened season, conventional logic will point to the teams with elite starting pitching or bullpen depth. Right off the bat, the Dodgers should be the favorite going into the season, which had the lowest combined ERA in 2019. It also doesn’t hurt to add Mookie Betts and Anthony Rendon to the lineup. Behind the Dodgers are the Yankees and Asterisks… I mean Astros. After those three times, the next tier includes the Twins, Nationals, A’s, and Braves. In theory, it’s anyone’s year, but if one of those seven teams don’t win it all, I’d be shocked.

What is your biggest question in regards to the upcoming MLB season? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us, @unafraidshow.

Astros, Cheating, And Baseball: Do We Actually Care?

Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman

I’m sure you’ve heard the popular phrase, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” Everyone cheats. We cheat on our diets when we sneak in some late-night ice cream. Your drunk uncle cheats in Uno when he stashes some extra wild cards in his hand. Hell, men and women cheat on their significant others all the time. If we’re so used to cheating, do we actually care about the Astros’ cheating scandal in baseball?

By now, you probably know about the Houston Astros and their sign-stealing scandal that dates back to 2016. The year is noteworthy because the Astros won the World Series in 2017 and fell one game short of winning it all in 2019. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred conducted an investigation and handed out punishments: manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow received one-year suspensions, loss of 1st and 2nd round draft picks in 2020 and 2021, and a $5 million fine.

Clearly, the majority of baseball fans including myself viewed this as a slap on the wrist and the outcry for harsher punishments were evident. To avoid the PR nightmare, the Astros fired Hinch and Luhnow. From there, two of the ring leaders in the scandal, Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran, also lost their managerial jobs with the Red Sox and Mets, respectively.

The main lesson from all of this may end up being to not fuck with the Internet. And, don’t bang trash cans to steal signs.

And don’t piss off Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger.

And don’t wear buzzers on your chests (?).

Now that you’ve read my Wikipedia entry above, let’s get down to business. Do we actually care about the Astros’ cheating scandal? Yes, I care, but it’s not black and white and there is a level of hypocrisy.

Full disclosure, I am a Yankees fan. The Astros have been a thorn in my side for the past three seasons. From Altuve’s multiple home runs to Verlander’s endless strikeouts, the Astros contributed to my seasonal depression over the winter. Therefore, I’m fully invested in this scandal.

Before I’m accused of throwing stones in glass houses, I’m fully aware the Yankees have cheated before. If you’re anti-steroids, then you can have a field day on Yankees in the late 90s and early 00s. I’m aware that Yankees violated a rule that deals with the use of the dugout phone. I’m also aware the Yankees used their video room to try and decode signs from 2015-2017 before rules were put into place during the 2018 season. If you want to attack the Yankees for all of that, have a field day. However, it’s not like the Yankees were the only team using steroids and trying to decode signs in the replay room.

Now, I feel that I can now speak on what the Astros did, which is bullshit. I’m fully aware every team tries to cheat including my own, but what the Astros did took what we view as cheating and raised it to the tenth power. If you can decode signs without the help of electronics, by all means, go for it. It’s like when Mike D discovered Teddy KGB’s tell in Rounders. That’s gamesmanship. I’m all for it.

However, the Astros used a center field camera to spy on the catcher’s signs, decode them in the replay room, and bang trash cans to relay the message to the batter. That’s cheating. Plus, imagine if there’s concrete evidence that the players were wearing buzzers on their chests. The Astros are very talented, but if the buzzer rumor is true, is their World Series title legit? I’m not giving it an asterisk, but it’s clouded in controversy.

So here I am as a conflicted baseball fan. In a game that has had countless instances of cheating, does this cheating scandal matter? It does matter. What the Astros did was bullshit and they should be punished. I’m not one to take away a World Series, but after Altuve and Bregman’s unapologetic comments, I’m willing to consider suspensions for the players involved. The players do not receive the benefit of the doubt, anymore. The coaches should not be the only ones who fall on the sword.

I’d like to believe the majority of fans care about this scandal, but as baseball has taught us, some other scandal will come in a few years and the Astros sign-stealing will be in the rearview mirror. Until then, I’m going to care and I hope you (pretend to) care, too.

Do you care about the cheating scandal? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us, @unafraidshow.

The Five Best Players Available at the MLB Trade Deadline

Trade Madison Bumgarner MLB trade deadline

Every year, late-July brings a flurry of movement among teams at the MLB trade deadline. With added wild card spots and TV revenue through the roof, it feels like the league has a bigger divide than ever between contending teams and tanking teams, allowing the deadline to function nearly like a relegation system in soccer: a few smaller teams (Mariners, Royals, Reds) send their best players to the big boys (Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers) who in turn send their younger, less proven players back.

However, while this year looks like it will eventually be more of the same, so far the trade deadline has been – well – dead.

July 31 is the official trade deadline and as of this writing, very few trades have been made. So many teams are caught in that dangerous middle area, where they aren’t quite contending but they aren’t totally out of it either, making it hard for them to commit to either being buyers or sellers.

As such, the few teams that are selling have their asking price at sky-high levels, because they know the market is scarce at the moment.

The contending teams are content to wait and see if more teams decide to sell, which should saturate the market and allow some deals to get done.

So for now, we wait.

Should the market finally get going, here are the five players who could get dealt before the MLB trade deadline who will have the biggest impact for their new team down the stretch:

Madison Bumgarner, LHP, San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are on a nice 9-1 stretch right now, and at 52-50 they do have an outside chance at winning one of the two wildcard spots in the National League.

However, most experts predict they’ll sell at the trade deadline in order to help shore up their depleted farm system.

If they do that, longtime left-handed starter Madison Bumgarner could find himself pitching in a new uniform for the first time in his big league career.

Bumgarner, 29, is 5-7 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 9.09 K/9 on the season. He has been one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the entire league over the last decade and is known for his postseason heroics – a fact that will no doubt add to his price tag if the Giants make him available.

Marcus Stroman Five best players available

Marcus Stroman, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman appears on this list despite not being a free agent at the end of the season, a rarity in today’s “rental” era.

However, the Blue Jays have been known to be shopping the fiery 28-year-old, and it makes sense to deal him while he is pitching as well as he is.

Stroman is boasting a 3.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 7.11 K/9 despite a disappointing 6-10 record. Considering how bad he was in 2018 (5.54 ERA in 19 starts) the Blue Jays are likely trying to deal him now in case he struggles again next season and ends up worthless on the trade market.

As such, his value should be pretty high heading into late-July.

Matthew Boyd, LHP, Detroit Tigers

Boyd will be one of the most attractive arms on the market, not just because of how strong of a season he is having, but because he is under team control through 2023.

That also gives the Tigers less motivation to deal their star left-hander, which means any trade that does occur with Boyd will net them a very high-profile prospect, or two.

Boyd is currently 6-8 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. His 12.00 K/9 is absolutely elite, and his 3.24 SIERA and 3.57 FIP indicate he is pitching much better than his 4.07 ERA shows. That’s because Detroit’s defense is awful.

A move to a better offensive and defensive team would make Boyd an absolute star in the second half, and would net the Tigers a ton of young players to build around in the future.

MLB trade deadline

Nicholas Castellanos, OF, Detroit Tigers

The second Tigers player to crack this list, right fielder Nicholas Castellanos is a fairly obvious MLB trade deadline candidate after repeated efforts to sign him to an extension have fallen flat.

The 27-year-old outfielder is having a nice season, slashing .285/.342/.483 with 11 home runs and two stolen bases. He’s walking at a 7.5% rate and striking out at a 21.2% rate, both the best marks of his career.

While his outfield defense still leaves plenty to be desired, Castellanos is arguably the best rental bat available on the market. He’d be a great fit for an AL team who needs someone to serve as a DH and platoon outfielder and could go to an NL team as well – although his defense will likely give NL teams hesitation in dealing for him.

Expect the Tigers to be aggressive in pursuing top of the line prospects in return for Castellanos, although they’ll need to move him or else risk losing him for next to nothing – so at the end of the day they’ll end up taking whatever the market dictates.

Will Smith, LHP, San Francisco Giants

As stated above, Smith is only going to be available if San Francisco decides to cash it in – which is becoming less likely with their recent run of success.

However, if they do, the fresh prince would be one of the hottest commodities on the trade market. I mean, what’s not to love? Smith is a dominant left-handed closer, in his prime, and is on a very affordable one-year contract.

Teams would be able to plug him into their late-inning situation right away, would only have to pay him about $2 million dollars, and could let him walk in free agency after he helps them lock up a potential playoff victory.

Players like this historically have commanded ridiculous amounts of prospects, including the Andrew Miller trade (Justus Sheffield and Clint Frazier went from the Indians to the Yankees) and the Aroldis Chapman trade (Gleyber Torres to the Yankees from the Cubs).

Smith is going to command a big pot of prospects from whichever team can convince San Francisco to pack it in and deal away their two star left-handers.

The movement at the MLB trade deadline may turn a contender into a World Series champion.

The MLB Home Run Derby Could Be a Stand-Alone Sporting Event

MLB Home run derby MLB All star game

If you missed this year’s rendition of the Home Run Derby, the premier pre- MLB All-Star game event, then you missed one hell of a ride. Two rookies, Pete Alonso (Mets) and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (Blue Jays), put on an absolute show, blasting home runs left and right and shattering previous derby records.

Of course, for the first time, the derby actually had a massive prize: a cool $1,000,000. Even to professional athletes, that’s a lot of cash.

However, because of baseball’s archaic rules that prevent rookies from getting paid big money until six years into the league, this year’s winner, Pete Alonso, only has a salary of $555,000 this year. His performance in the derby ended up earning him double what he will get paid for the rest of the season with the Mets – even though he is an All-Star and potential MVP candidate.

This begs an interesting question, that was originally discussed on the Effectively Wild Podcast: Could the home run derby survive as its own ‘sport’? After all, watching players blast home runs off pitches right down the middle during a timed event is completely unlike real baseball. The only similarity is the equipment and the field – both things that could be altered in a theoretical new league.

Who Would Participate?

Would people pay to see players participate in a home run derby on a regular basis? Hard to say. Clearly, a startup league would struggle to pull professional players from the major leagues into a new derby league. So the talent level probably wouldn’t be there right away. There are certainly plenty of recently retired players or players who didn’t make the major leagues – but who had serious home run power – who could probably excel in a sport dedicated exclusively to hitting dingers.

If the league could get guys like Jose Canseco, Adam Dunn, Chris Carter, David Wright, and the Barry Bonds types to come out of retirement to blast some home runs, perhaps fans would tune it on a semi-regular basis. And with a cash prize, it’s not impossible to think some of these guys would do it.

Other Home Run Derby Innovations

However, eventually, people would get bored watching the same event over and over, even if they were attached to the performers. But what about having a derby on a football field? Over a lake? In the Grand Canyon? These are pretty ridiculous ideas, but if enough fans showed up and cared about watching, maybe they could pull this off.

Fans have proven that the best part about sports is watching people hit or throw a ball as far as possible. The home run in baseball, the three-pointer in basketball, hail mary’s in football, long goals in soccer, whatever it is, humans tend to love their feats of strength.

A sport dedicated to the home run derby probably wouldn’t survive, but the concept is there if they found the right people and the right gimmicks to make it last without the MLB All-Star game.