Atlanta Braves Clippings Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Braves.com

Ozuna 1st NL player to hit 3 HRs at Fenway

By Mark Bowman

Braves manager Brian Snitker was entertained by the impressive power Marcell Ozuna displayed as he produced his first career three-homer game in a 10-3 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

“The second one was hit harder than the first and the third was like, ‘My God,’” Snitker said.

Ozuna became the first National League player to have a three-homer game at Fenway Park when his eighth-inning, three-run homer sailed over the batter’s eye and hit the elevated camera well below the center field video board.

Per Statcast, the monstrous shot traveled a projected 437 feet and came off the bat with a 110.6-mph exit velocity. But it’s more impressive to point out that multiple players and media members who have witnessed more than a few games in Boston said they had not remembered a ball being hit to that spot.

“Everyone was talking about it,” Braves top pitching prospect Ian Anderson said. “Some of the guys who have played here plenty of times said, ‘That’s the farthest ball I’ve ever seen hit here.’ Just the sound of it, you knew that thing was going a long way.”

As the Braves secured their first series win against Boston since 2004, it appeared the story of the night would be Anderson, who allowed two runs over six innings while making just his second career start.

Less than a week into his career, the 22-year-old stands with Max Fried as the only Braves starters to complete at least six innings twice this year. Any encouraging news about Atlanta's rotation has often been the most noteworthy development on most days this year.

But there haven’t been many days like the one enjoyed by Ozuna, who became the first Braves player to hit three homers in a game since Matt Kemp on April 29, 2017, in Milwaukee. He became the fourth Major Leaguer to produce a three-homer performance this year, joining Mookie Betts, José Abreu and Trent Grisham. Later on Tuesday night, the Giants' Alex Dickerson also hit three homers at Coors Field.

And to think Ozuna actually showed up at Fenway Park aiming just to get the two hits he needed to reach 1,000 for his career. He told the team’s assistant athletic trainer Mike Frostad he would reach the milestone on this night.

Maybe it should have been known Ozuna would do so in this manner. He has hit eight homers within his past 17 games and has totaled a team- high 11 homers through his first 35 games. His adjustment to being primarily used as a designated hitter has been successful thus far.

“You love to see a guy like that get it going, because they literally can carry you,” Snitker said.

This is the power the Braves were seeking when they signed Ozuna to a one-year, $18 million deal after passing on re-signing Josh Donaldson, whose latest calf injury has limited him to seven games since he signed a four-year, $92 million deal with the Twins.

“As good as Josh was, you look at what Ozuna has done here in the same period of time, it’s like, 'My God,' he has been unbelievable,” Snitker said. “That has the makings to be a monster 162-game season.”

It’s a very small sample size. But since Snitker brought it up, Ozuna would be on pace to hit 50 homers over a 162-game season.

Ozuna began his memorable night by hitting a two-run dinger in the first against former Brave Ryan Weber. The Braves designated hitter and outfielder cleared the Green Monster again in the seventh inning with a solo homer that traveled a projected 441 feet with a 108.3-mph exit velocity.

Red Sox left-handed reliever Kyle Hart surrendered the solo homer in the seventh and the big blast Ozuna hit in the eighth.

“This road trip, he has hit some balls extremely hard,” Snitker said. “I haven’t seen any exit velocities or anything. But that ball comes off his bat unbelievable.” Looking back at this year’s Spring Training, Ozuna admits he arrived slightly overweight after celebrating a little too much during the offseason. But he spent much of the shutdown working out and arrived at Summer Camp ready to prove himself.

Ozuna entered Tuesday with career-best marks in average exit velocity (92.5 mph) and hard-hit rate (50 percent). He looks as fearsome as he did when he hit 37 homers in 2017 and stronger than he did last year, when he was recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery.

“I’m in good shape right now,” Ozuna said. “I’m just getting ready and coming with the mindset you’re going to play every day and give it your best.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves’ farm system falls to No. 15 in MLB.com rankings

By Tim Tucker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

MLB.com released its midseason ranking of farm systems Tuesday night, and you’ll have to look lower on the list than in recent years to find the Braves.

The Braves’ collection of prospects is ranked No. 15, squarely in the middle among the 30 teams and down from No. 3 in the website’s 2019 preseason ranking, No. 7 in midseason 2019 and No. 8 in preseason 2020.

Still, the Braves currently have four prospects ranked among MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects: outfielder Cristian Pache at No. 14, outfielder Drew Waters at No. 27, pitcher Ian Anderson (still classified as a prospect despite being on the big-league roster since last week) at No. 41 and catcher Shea Langeliers at No. 74.

Other than Anderson, no Braves pitcher is currently ranked among MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects. The website’s report noted that pitcher Kyle Wright, ranked No. 52 in preseason, “hasn’t been able to establish himself in the big leagues and also graduated from prospect status” with several stints on the Atlanta roster since 2018.

The Tampa Bay Rays currently have the No. 1 farm system, according to the rankings, followed by the Detroit Tigers at No. 2. San Diego’s farm system is ranked No. 3 even after the Padres traded seven of the organization’s top 30 prospects (but none of their five ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects) ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.

Several factors can play into the Braves’ fall in the rankings: prospects graduating to the big leagues in recent years, some prospects declining in the opinion of evaluators, the impact of international amateur signing restrictions on the organization and the assessment of draft picks.

Ozuna hits 3 homers, Anderson impresses again in Braves’ win

By Gabriel Burns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ian Anderson has people wondering why the Braves didn’t promote him sooner. Marcell Ozuna has people wondering if the Braves can keep him longer.

One turn after defeating the Yankees, Anderson and the Braves beat the Red Sox 10-3 at Fenway Park on Tuesday. Ozuna, the designated hitter, provided a large chunk of the run support by hitting three home runs and posting six RBIs.

“I was excited when we got him, to have that bat on our side,” manager Brian Snitker said of Ozuna. “He has such confidence. I don’t know that I’ve seen a guy who loves playing more than him. He’s always laughing. Just talking to him when he’s in the hole sometimes, he has a really good idea of what he’s doing at the plate, too. You love seeing a guy like that get it going because they can literally carry you.”

Anderson can say he began his career by slaying both the big-market American League East powers, even if this Red Sox team is a far, far cry from 2018. He’s only the second pitcher to defeat the Yankees and Red Sox in his first two major-league starts, joining Cleveland’s Luis Tiant (1964).

“That’s awesome,” Anderson said. “A weird scenario for a National League team and pitcher. Coming up with the Braves, you wouldn’t think you’d make your debut against two American League teams. But it’s 2020, (a unique) season. It’s been great so far.”

The 22-year-old looks like the veteran, strike-throwing acquisition so many thought the Braves would add at the trade deadline. Pitching with added adrenaline against his childhood favorite team, Anderson, an upstate New York native, held the Red Sox to two runs over six innings. Anderson struck out eight while issuing only one walk, avoiding the maddening command problems that’ve plagued most of his colleagues. He is the only Braves starter besides Max Fried to pitch two six-inning outings this season. The Braves are 10-0 in those starts.

In his first two appearances, Anderson has a 2.25 ERA, striking out 14 and walking three over 12 innings. He’s held Yankees and Red Sox hitters to a .163 average.

“You love the composure and mound presence, the confidence,” Snitker said. “He just keeps throwing strikes. When he gets in trouble, he doesn’t panic. He just keeps pitching. He’s a very mature-looking kid as a young pitcher. He has a great demeanor. He slows the game down. There’s a lot of really good things when you watch him out there.”

Ozuna, meanwhile, posted his first three-homer game and third multi-homer game with the Braves. It was the 25th time a visiting player has hit three home runs at Fenway Park and the first time it was done by National Leaguer.

Anderson was spotted a two-run lead when Ozuna hit a monstrous blast over the green monster in the first. His seventh-inning solo shot was hit even harder in the same direction. His third, a three-run homer in the eighth, went so deep to center that its distance hasn’t yet been properly recorded.

“Everyone was talking about it,” Anderson said. “Guys who’ve played here before several times said that’s the farthest ball they’ve seen hit here. Just the sound of it, you knew that thing was going a long way.”

A giddy Anderson added “He’s hit four homers in the two games I’ve pitched so far. He’s helped me out a ton.”

Ozuna has helped more than just Anderson. When the Braves lost slugger Josh Donaldson in free agency, they turned to Ozuna, hoping he could replicate a chunk of the production on a one-year deal. They haven’t missed a beat: Ozuna would be on a 50-homer pace in a normal season. He’s every bit the potent bat that Donaldson was.

“As good as Josh was, you look at what Ozuna has done here in the same period of time, he’s been unbelievable for a four-week, five-week span here,” Snitker said. “That has the makings of a monster 162-game year, what he’s doing right now.”

Ozuna said he used the virus-induced break to get himself into better shape. He said his family helped with that cause, pushing and reminding him to work out. He felt he was much better prepared entering July’s camp than he was in February, when he got off to a slow start in spring training.

With the season more than halfway over, it’s fair to say the Ozuna signing was a resounding success. Since the designated hitter could be permanent in the National League, perhaps the Braves try to extend his Atlanta tenure beyond 2020. They might be in for another offseason revolving around a free-agent bopper.

“This is a really good team,” Ozuna said. “We have so much talent. I feel happy to be here and be part of it.”

Notes from Tuesday:

- Ozuna wasn’t the Braves’ only valuable offseason lineup addition. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud had a three-hit night, raising his season slash line to .325/.360/.530 in 22 games. Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley, Ender Inciarte and Ozuna also had multi-hit games.

- First baseman Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak with an RBI-single in the eighth inning. He’s reached the 15-game mark, which is halfway to his career-best streak.

- The Braves are going for a sweep Wednesday with lefty Robbie Erlin on the mound. They’ve already clinched their first series win at Boston since sweeping a series in 2002.

Ronald Acuna misses second consecutive game with hamstring tightness

By Gabriel Burns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Braves aren’t going to rush Ronald Acuna back onto the field.

Acuna was out of the lineup again Tuesday for the Braves’ second game in Boston. He exited Sunday’s game in Philadelphia with tightness in his right hamstring and missed Monday’s 6-3 win over the Red Sox.

Manager Brian Snitker indicated Acuna might not play until Friday, when the Braves return from a trip and face the Nationals in a doubleheader.

“If he misses tomorrow’s game, and we have the day off (Thursday), I would think he’d be raring to go Friday for the doubleheader,” Snitker said, adding that Acuna worked out on the field Tuesday. “I don’t know how he felt coming in (Tuesday). I know he felt something yesterday. That was what led to the caution today. They wanted to run him around a little bit first.” Ender Inciarte replaced Acuna in center field Tuesday, with Nick Markakis and Adam Duvall at the corner spots. Shortstop Dansby Swanson was moved back to the leadoff spot.

Acuna recently returned from the injured list after missing 11 games with left-wrist inflammation. He’s hit .266/.389/.532 with five homers, 10 RBIs and 16 runs scored in 23 games this season.

Notes from Tuesday:

- Second baseman Ozzie Albies is expected to begin hitting on the field by the end of the week, Snitker said. The Braves haven’t offered an estimated return date.

“Everything is good,” Snitker said. “He’s amped up how hard he’s swinging. All the reports are good. He’s scheduled, by the end of the week, to be working out and taking batting practice at the alternate site (in Gwinnett).

- One slash line that won’t look too different than usual at the end of the 60-game campaign probably will be Freddie Freeman’s. After a mediocre start, the first baseman is enjoying a 14-game hitting streak. He’s upped his season line to .314/.434/.551 with five homers and 21 RBIs. He leads the National League in walks (25).

Freeman’s 14-game run is tied for the second-longest in the majors entering Tuesday. Jose Abreu of the White Sox has equaled the streak, while Washington’s Trea Turner is on a 16-game run.

- First baseman Matt Adams was designated for assignment Sunday when the Braves needed to open a spot for acquired lefty Tommy Milone. If Adams clears waivers, he could be assigned to the alternate training site Wednesday.

Adams hit .184/.216/.347 with two homers and nine RBIs in 16 games. The Braves were searching for bench help at the deadline that could’ve pushed Adams off the 28-man roster anyway, but they didn’t make a move. He no longer is on the 40-man roster.

- The trade deadline passed without the Braves making a notable addition. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has drawn criticism for fans, but the players understand there are a lot of factors at play when trying to complete trades.

“You don’t take offense to it,” catcher Tyler Flowers said. “Having a relationship with everyone in this clubhouse, you almost sort of embrace it. That faith, trust and belief in each guy that’s in here currently. That they didn’t feel it was necessary to get rid of certain guys, get certain guys to come in. They believe our guys are better off. I think we all have belief in all the guys who are here right now, and even some who aren’t here right now, that they can come in, contribute and get jobs done.

“So honestly, I kind of view it the opposite way, where I think it’s a vote of confidence in the group we currently have and basically started out with. There’s that belief that they’ll get the job done and put us in position we want to be in to give us a chance.”

- The Braves don’t play at Fenway Park often, but it was easy for them to notice a difference without the usual baseball-city atmosphere. Snitker has noticed it more in Boston than he has in other ballparks.

“This has probably been the one place you notice the no fans and all more than the rest of them, for some reason,” he said. “Just because this is such a special place. You never come here and it’s not just jam-packed. Every game is a sellout.

“It’s still really cool to go there and look around like, ‘Man, it’s Fenway Park.’ But this has had a different feel than everyone else, I guess it’s because it is Fenway Park. We’re not going to Wrigley (in Chicago), but I would probably think you’d feel the same way there in those iconic places like that. It’s so special to be able to play here.”

Braves need more success from pitching pipeline

By Michael Cunningham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Since last season’s trade deadline, the Indians have sent away pitchers Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger. From 2016-19 their combined Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (43) for Cleveland was better than any other starting trio in the American League. The Indians still may have MLB’s best starting staff because they are stacked with homegrown arms.

The Braves were in desperate need of a starting pitcher by Monday’s deadline. They ended up acquiring lefty Tommy Milone, who has pitched more games from the bullpen during a 10-year career. The Braves may still have the worst rotation in the National League because not enough of their homegrown arms are ready to help now.

The Indians are what the Braves hope to become. Cleveland is so loaded with proven young arms that it can afford to trade valuable pitchers away when team needs (or the money counters) demand it. Meanwhile, the Braves saw young pitchers Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson and Touki Toussaint flame out when given a chance during the past two seasons. That’s not a knock on the Braves. They’ve won two consecutive NL East titles and are favored to make it three in a row. As noted previously in this space, it wouldn’t be a bad return if Mike Soroka and Max Fried are the only stars to emerge from the wave of young pitchers they’ve acquired. The Braves’ current No. 1 pitching prospect, Ian Anderson, is getting his MLB turn now, and Kyle Muller is on hold at the Gwinnett camp.

But the Braves need more of their young pitchers to develop in order to fulfill the vision of pitching depth. Soroka and Fried are well on their way. There are big question marks about the others. Wright, a former No. 5 overall draft pick has a 7.52 ERA in 40 2/3 MLB innings, Wilson has posted a 7.22 ERA over 28 2/3 innings in the majors and Toussaint has compiled a 5.65 ERA in 92 1/3 innings.

Given the state of the Braves’ pitching, we may see those three on the Braves’ active roster again in 2020. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said Wilson has been “throwing better” at Gwinnett and Wright has “gotten himself straightened out.” The problem is that too many young Braves pitchers haven’t shown it in the bright lights.

The pitch control that Wilson and Wright showed in the minors abandoned them during their big-league stints. After each poor outing by Wilson and Wright, Braves manager Brian Snitker hits on the same theme: They’ve got good stuff, so they just need to throw strikes.

It seems simple enough. But when I see young pitchers struggle to do it, I think back to something former Braves pitcher Eric O’Flaherty posted on Twitter when a user asked him if it’s really so difficult to throw strikes.

“Not if you’re willing to go down in flames,” O’Flaherty responded. “At some point you just aim right down the middle and see what happens. Either your stuff is good enough to pitch in the league or it isn’t. Walks are usually a result of a pitcher subconsciously not wanting an answer to that question.”

O’Flaherty’s view ties in with Cleveland’s success developing its young pitchers. The Indians favor prospects who have good pitch control and then work with them on velocity and movement. It’s paid off, especially with three pitchers Cleveland selected in the 2016 June draft: Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale.

Bieber (third round) was the highest pick. The combined signing bonus of the three pitchers: about $1.1 million. They’ve become so good that, after Clevinger left, Cleveland still had the highest combined b-WAR (4.9) of three pitchers on staff entering Tuesday. And that’s with Plesac limited to three starts because he was quarantined after breaking COVID-19 protocols.

Five Thirty Eight’s Travis Sawchik found that the Cleveland trio has produced two of the best seasons for pitchers drafted in the same class and on the same MLB staff.

“They could have been somewhat undervalued by the industry because they didn’t throw as hard, they didn’t have that scout-type stuff you are looking for,” Indians VP Brad Grant told Sawchik. “But what they did have is that they all were extremely good athletes. All of them had very good control. All of them had very good deliveries. If you have that side already, it’s easier to add to the fastball or develop pitches.”

Cleveland struck gold in the draft by going all-in on one side of the stuff vs. control matrix. Soroka fit a similar mold as a prospect when the Braves took him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Most of the organization’s other top young pitchers were touted more for the quality of their pitches than precise control.

That includes Fried, whose big curveball was his best pitch as a prep prospect. The Padres drafted Fried No. 7 overall in 2012, but he struggled with his command early in his pro career. The Braves acquired Fried in the 2014 Justin Upton trade with the belief that Fried could get back on track after elbow surgery. Fried got healthy, made a rapid rise through the minors and this year is a candidate for the NL Cy Young Award.

When the Braves drafted Wilson in 2016, he was known for a hard, sharp fastball. He hasn’t thrown it often this year (maybe because, according to tracking data, it’s not moving much). Wright was a hard thrower in college whose command continued to develop as a pro until going missing in MLB (maybe because hitters have teed off on his strikes).

Toussaint, once a raw high school prospect with a live arm, has long struggled with control. Anderson’s pitch quality was well ahead of his control when the Braves drafted him No. 3 overall in 2016 he still has work to do to close that gap.

The Braves’ 2020 outlook becomes much sunnier if at least one pitcher from among Anderson, Wright, Wilson and Touissant can be an average starter. That’s what Anthopoulos is banking on after failing to acquire Clevinger, whom he considered to be the only top starter to switch teams at the deadline. Veterans Cole Hamels, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb also are at the alternate training site in Gwinnett, but chances are, one of the young pitchers will be needed.

The Braves may not be as short on pitching for 2021. The rotation will be strong at the top with Soroka (whenever he’s recovered from Achilles surgery) and Fried at the top. Anderson might be part of it. Anthopoulos can fill one spot by taking a one-year shot on a pricey veteran. That worked in 2019 with Dallas Keuchel, but hasn’t worked with Hamels in 2020.

If enough things go right for the Braves, soon Anthopoulos won’t have to rely on such deals to fill out his rotation because his organization, like the Indians, will be deep in good, young pitchers.

The Athletic

Gammons: Baseball is drawing in viewers. Where will it go from here?

By Peter Gammons

In a week in which the Padres seemingly hit nightly grand slams and the White Sox were homering like the 2019 Twins, pandemic positives and negatives turned to a different set of statistics — namely baseball’s television ratings. What do they mean?

“I believe it’s a positive,” says Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom, “no matter how confusing the postponements and positive tests and shutdowns seem to get.”

Recently there was a significant development detailed here in The Athletic by Daniel Kaplan and in Forbes by Maury Brown: Baseball is seeing a surge in ratings, especially among younger demographics and women.

Perhaps this is related to another trend. From Cape Cod, Mass. to Olympia, Wash., home sales seem to be rising in suburban and more remote areas, in some regions soaring. Homebuilding is prospering, and there seems to be a growing move away from cities. The pandemic has brought a different lifestyle, where going to urban offices more than two or three days a week at most is deemed unnecessary, with Zoom meetings and all things increasingly online.

“We see it in baseball, where teams aren’t requiring everyone to come in the office, we do meetings and trade discussions and even scouting discussions by Zoom or other online meeting programs,” says one general manager. “It certainly is the case in a growing number of businesses, law offices, whatever.”

From March on, with schools closed, the time spent at home with children has increased. So instead of a potentially hours-long ride home after work through bumper-to-bumper traffic, family dinners and shared television time has become more common. The national lifestyle is shifting.

“Sure, the games aren’t exactly the same, but I think this is why it’s important we’re playing,” says Bloom. As badly as the Red Sox have played, do parents want to watch political news or Alex Verdugo? Verdugo is new. In South Florida, fans can see Sixto Sánchez. Toronto sees that Bo Bichette is a star. The White Sox fans see the game in Luis Robert, and all that surrounds him. There’s not all that much else on television right now other than sports.

Beyond that, the pandemic, followed by racial justice protests, may have given voice to players, and if they didn’t already know, people have learned how thoughtful and socially responsible players like Andrew McCutchen, Marcus Semien and Cameron Maybin are. There is a sense that baseball has moved from being a stonewalled owners’ league to becoming more like the NBA, which is a players’ league whose popularity continues to boom because they are individuals with thoughts and are not (eh, Mick Jagger) under the thumbs of owners. Some of those owners think the sport would be better off with the reserve clause, without the knowledge that the Messersmith arbitration decision opened the Great Boom in an industry that, at the time, had two teams that showed all their games on local television.

Where for years many teams have preferred marketing the team brand ahead of players, right now the sport’s stars are speaking up. Oh, we still get the jealous and small-minded who call for LeBron James to “shut up and dribble” or tell baseball players to “shut up and play.” But in contrast to those demeaning, condescending words, the demonstrations of the NBA and MLB were conscience-driven, mostly peer-driven, often joined by respectful teammates who did not necessarily see every issue the same way but clearly admitted that it is impossible to say “I understand” if they have never confronted the same circumstances as their Black teammates.

In the nation’s second-largest market, Mookie Betts began emerging as the face of baseball. He is one of the three best players in the sport, and his words in the Jackie Robinson tribute video MLB showed in every park on Jackie Robinson Day spoke to the dignity that he hopes emerges from a divided country: “I cannot say I have it made while our country drives ahead to a deeper rift between men and women of varying colors, speeds along a course towards more and more racism. Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstands just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you’re wasting your life …. Until every child can have an equal opportunity in youth and manhood; until hunger is not only immoral but illegal; until hatred is recognized as a disease, a scourge, an epidemic and treated as such; until racism and sexism are conquered, Jackie Robinson and no one else can say he has it made. There’s not an American in the country free until every one of us is free.”

These words were read by a man who, after the second game of the 2018 World Series, took food to the homeless sleeping on the sidewalks outside the Boston Public Library, a man who lives what he believes.

Some fans will always complain about player salaries and find a way to blame Giancarlo Stanton’s injuries on his income, but the truth is that today’s highest-paid stars play with an intrepid fire. Any time one watches an Angels game, Mike Trout is 3.9 seconds to first base, running into walls and tearing from first to home. However much he makes. Bryce Harper plays every day as if it’s the seventh game of the World Series. Betts comes to the park every day, works diligently in the infield and outfield and plays as if he sees the game with the vision of the TV production staff from its trucks with a dozen camera views. Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander pitch with the same purpose as Shane Bieber.

When baseball resumed after the 1994-95 strike, there was a different feel. There was a hangover from the perception of player greed, rather than an attempt to break the union. On Opening Day, some players were booed. Twenty-five years later, baseball’s audience had aged. But now, kids can look out and see Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, Luis Robert, Bo Bichette, Pete Alonso … All young and exciting, all distinct people and players. It has been a huge plus for the game that young players barely in their 20s have been emerged so quickly, a testament to what many teams are doing with player development. It’s now a young game.

The fact that there are close to 20 teams believing they can get one of this year’s 16 postseason spots helps, as well. But if you’re a fan of the Giants, Angels, Pirates, Mariners, Tigers, Royals or Red Sox, when Cal Ripken Jr.’s birthday rolled around on Aug. 24, you probably sensed there was little hope for this season, even if it gets played out without further complexities.

There are no minor leagues, and as several general managers warned this past week, “if the fans aren’t back, the minor-league teams are going to have a hard time getting back.” Only a few young players per team have been able to play intrasquad games in their teams’ alternate sites. There had been hope that the rosters could be expanded from 60 players, but that now seems to have too many roadblocks. Many clubs thought that they could run mega-instructional leagues in spring training facilities in Florida and Arizona, but the pandemic response in those two states have essentially wiped out that hope. Could they hold instructional league programs at their major-league and alternate sites after the playoffs move to bubble baseball? “Possible,” says one GM. “But given the lost revenues of this season, it might be too costly for the owners.” The owners are thinking about 2020-2021 balance sheets, not what those seasons may cost them in 2022 when they need young, minimum-salaried players.

“It’s incredible when you consider that Wander Franco and Spencer Torkelson aren’t playing,” says a GM. “Think of what this does to the development of young players when they don’t play competitively for a year and a half.”

One former GM adds, “this kills the no-name young players who get better by playing and develop.”

Still, “There is good that’s come out of this season, and we have to hope the good carries over,” says one team president. “Problem is, there is so much we don’t know. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the pandemic come the fall and flu season. We don’t know how the owners are going to view their books. We may have a surge in television demographics and interest, but as people leave the cities, are they going to watch more games and be willing to spend the money on tickets, food, concessions and parking, not to mention the time driving in to the ballparks and with all the four-hour games getting home at midnight?”

In other words, can the television interest capture the public eye enough to want to spend the time and the money to go to live games as often as in the past?

Instead of arguing over short-term money, owners and players had better be working on what baseball should be like when the new normal begins to unfurl.

Bowden: Handing out trade deadline grades for all 30 teams

By Jim Bowden

The 2020 MLB trade deadline did not disappoint. Despite the pandemic, shortened spring training, truncated regular season, no minor-league games and just a month of games before the trade deadline, there was still wheeling and dealing by GMs in both leagues.

The small-market San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds were rocking and rolling and trading like they were the big-market teams, while the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers stood pat. The Toronto Blue Jays of Buffalo made several fruitful trades, positioned themselves for a wild-card berth and probably had the second-best deadline of any team in the sport.

The deadline was fun and exciting but mostly because of the Padres who — spoiler alert — won the deadline with the biggest and most impactful trades to improve their club.

With that said, here are my grades for all 30 teams at the trade deadline:

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Grade: B+

Trades: Traded LHP Tommy Milone to Braves in exchange for two players to be named later; Traded LHP Richard Bleier to Marlins for a player to be named later; Traded RHP Mychal Givens to Rockies for 1B/3B Tyler Nevin, 2B/SS Terrin Vavra and a player to be named later; Acquired LHP Kevin Smith and a player to be named later or cash from Mets in exchange for RHP Miguel Castro.

Orioles GM Mike Elias did extremely well in his trade of right-handed reliever Mychal Givens to the Rockies. He moved Givens while his stock was the highest it’s been in three years, thanks to a fast start with a 1.38 ERA after 12 appearances. First baseman/third baseman Tyler Nevin, son of Yankees third-base coach Phil Nevin, is the headliner coming back. Nevin, 23, slashed .251/.345/.399 at Hartford in the Eastern League last year with 26 doubles, 13 home runs and 61 runs batted in. He was blocked in the Rockies system behind numerous corner infield prospects at multiple levels. Vavra, 23, is a middle infielder who probably ends up at second base and is a former third-round pick. Last year in the South Atlantic League, he slashed .318/.409/.489 with 32 doubles, 10 home runs and 18 stolen bases. The O’s also get a player to be named later in the deal. That’s quite a haul for a 30-year-old reliever with only one year of control left on his contract. They also did well in landing southpaw Kevin Smith from the Mets in the Miguel Castro deal; Smith was the Mets’ minor-league Pitcher of the Year last season.

Boston Red Sox

Grade: B+

Trades: Traded RHP Brandon Workman and RHP Heath Hembree to the Phillies in exchange for RHP Nick Pivetta and RHP Connor Seabold; Acquired 3B Hudson Potts and OF Jeisson Rosario from Padres in exchange for 1B Mitch Moreland; Traded OF Kevin Pillar along with cash considerations to the Rockies for a player to be named later and international slot money; Traded LHP Josh Osich to the Cubs for a player to be named later.

The Red Sox front office did well in selling some of their veteran players to contending teams. In their deal with the Phillies, they got a solid pitching prospect in Connor Seabold who was a former third-round pick in the 2017 draft. Seabold had a career 3.39 FIP and 3.52 ERA in 196 2/3 innings of minor-league work. He also strikes out a batter an inning and owns a career 5.8 percent walk rate which amounts to 2 walks per 9 innings. Last year in Double A, he had a 2.25 ERA. They also get a reclamation project starter in Nick Pivetta, who’s always been liked by scouts and analytics departments but has never been able to turn that potential into major-league production. In their deal with the Padres that sent Mitch Moreland west, they acquired two position players, outfielder Jeisson Rosario and third baseman Hudson Potts, who are immediately considered top 10 prospects in the Red Sox farm system. The trade also unblocked first base prospect Bobby Dalbec from getting his first full-time major league opportunity with Boston. Dalbec is one of the best power-hitting prospects in baseball and immediately homered to right field around the Pesky Pole in his first start in Boston.

New York Yankees

Grade: B

Trades: Acquired C Rob Brantly from Giants for cash; Traded RHP David Hale to Phillies for RHP Addison Russ.

The Yankees tried hard to add a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, but walked away when the asking price never lowered to anything in fair range. Holding onto pitching prospects like Deivi García and Clarke Schmidt was the best play, as was keeping position player depth like Clint Frazier, Mike Ford and Miguel Andújar considering the injuries the Yankees are dealing with — in particular with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Tampa Bay Rays

Grade: C

Trades: Traded 2B/3B Daniel Robertson to Giants for cash; Acquired OF Brett Phillips from Royals in exchange for INF Lucius Fox; Traded OF/DH José Martínez to Cubs in exchange for two players to be named later; Traded LHP Anthony Banda to Giants for cash considerations.

The Rays didn’t do anything to improve their roster, outside of unblocking prospects when they dealt right-handed-hitting designated hitter José Martínez to the Cubs for two players to be named later and traded infielder Daniel Robertson to the Giants. Both players no longer fit with the Rays’ roster in the short or long term. They did acquire another strong defensive extra outfielder in Brett Phillips in the trade with the Royals for infielder Lucius Fox. The question is, did they really need another light-hitting outfielder with a roster that already has Austin Meadows, Kevin Kiermaier, Randy Arozarena, Brandon Lowe, Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot? Not sure I get the fit.

Toronto Blue Jays

Grade: A

Trades: Acquired INF Jonathan Villar from Marlins in exchange for OF Griffin Conine; Acquired LHP Robbie Ray and cash considerations from Diamondbacks in exchange for LHP Travis Bergen; Acquired RHP Taijuan Walker from Mariners for a player to be named later; Acquired 1B/DH Dan Vogelbach from Mariners for cash; Acquired RHP Ross Stripling from Dodgers for two players to be named later.

The Blue Jays were clear winners at the trade deadline; in fact I’d rank them second in the industry only behind the San Diego Padres. They acquired three major league starting pitchers in lefty Robbie Ray and right-handers Taijuan Walker and Ross Stripling. They might not hit on all three pitchers, but if they hit on two of them, they’ll be playing postseason baseball as a wild card team at the very least. I also felt they made a huge pickup in getting infielder Jonathan Villar, who last year in the AL East hit 24 home runs and stole 40 bags. He’ll be a nice placeholder until Bo Bichette gets back from the injured list, and more importantly, gives them another table-setter with game-changing type speed.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

Grade: C

Trades: Acquired OF Jarrod Dyson from Pirates for international pool money. I like the pick-up of Dyson, who gives them a defensive replacement for Eloy Jiménez in left field and a stolen base threat in late-inning tie games as a pinch-runner. I would have liked to see them land Lance Lynn at the trade deadline, but not at that asking price. Walking away and standing pat made sense for this first-place team, not only because of how they’re playing but how well their clubhouse is gelling. Don’t forget, they were the most active team in the offseason and received the best grade then, as well. Sometimes the best moves you make are the ones you don’t make, and I think that’s the case here.

Cleveland Indians

Grade: B

Trades: Traded RHP Mike Clevinger and OF Greg Allen to Padres in exchange for LF Josh Naylor, RHP Cal Quantrill, LHP Joey Cantillo, SS Gabriel Arias, C Austin Hedges and INF Owen Miller; Traded RHP James Hoyt to Marlins for cash.

The Indians got a strong package in terms of quantity from the Padres in their blockbuster trade for Clevinger, but did so without getting a Top-5 caliber prospect in the trade. Cleveland is expected to make the postseason, whether it be in first or second place or even a wild-card berth, whether they made this trade or not. However, I think they had a much better chance of winning a World Series had they kept Clevinger and traded him in the offseason instead. Gabriel Arias, a young shortstop, is the headliner coming back. He’s an above-average shortstop with a strong arm from the hole, who profiles out to develop into a 25-homer shortstop and is now the heir apparent to Francisco Lindor. Josh Naylor will become Cleveland’s starting left fielder; he has bat potential but is a below-average defender. Cal Quantrill’s best role is as a middle reliever, and southpaw Joey Cantillo should develop into a mid-rotation type starter. Austin Hedges is a no-hit catcher but an elite defender behind the plate, while Owen Miller can really hit and should develop into a first division utility player who can play all over the diamond. Impressive quantity trade, but I would have like to have seen a better prospect included in this blockbuster.

Detroit Tigers

Grade: D

Trades: Traded OF Cameron Maybin to Cubs in exchange for SS Zack Short.

The Tigers made one trade, sending veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin to the Cubs for utility infielder Zack Short. However, they weren’t able to move any of their other veteran players like left-handed pitcher Mathew Boyd or second baseman Jonathan Schoop.

Kansas City Royals

Grade: B-

Trades: Traded RHP Trevor Rosenthal to Padres in exchange for OF Edward Olivares and a player to be named later; Traded OF Brett Phillips to Rays in exchange for INF Lucius Fox.

The Royals benefited from a comeback season by Rosenthal that included 7 saves and a return to a triple-digit fastball. Based on the recommendation of Royals advisor Rusty Kuntz, GM Dayton Moore dealt Rosenthal to the Padres for outfielder Olivares. Olivares, 24, slashed .283/.349/.453 with 18 home runs and 35 stolen bases last year in Double A. They also picked up the speedy infielder Lucius Fox from the Rays in a deal for the light-hitting defensive outfielder in Brett Phillips. A win on both transactions for next year.

Minnesota Twins

Grade: C

Trades: None

The Twins could have used a veteran bullpen arm, but standing pat wasn’t the worst move either. They should soon get back former AL MVP winner and third baseman Josh Donaldson from the injured list and right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda from the suspended list. Those two veteran players should have as much impact down the stretch as any trade they would have made.

American League West

Houston Astros

Grade: D

Trades: None

Rookie GM James Click came up empty in his first trade deadline experience in the big chair. The Astros certainly had a need for veteran pitching, but most of their pitching prospects are already in the big leagues and their farm system has been thinned out over the last couple of years That probably made it more difficult to make a trade and played into their disappointing complacency.

Los Angeles Angels Grade: C-

Trades: Traded 2B Tommy La Stella to Athletics for SS Franklin Barreto; Traded C Jason Castro to Padres in exchange for RHP Gerardo Reyes; Acquired LHP Packy Naughton and a player to be named later from Reds in exchange for OF Brian Goodwin.

The Angels traded some veteran players who didn’t fit into their plans after this year in La Stella, Castro and Goodwin, but the return in all three of their trades was fringy at best. They decided to hold on to Dylan Bundy, which was probably the right move since they control him through 2021 and are not planning a complete rebuild. However, not dealing soon-to-be-free-agent shortstop Andrelton Simmons was puzzling, unless they’re going to be announcing a contract extension for him.

Oakland Athletics

Grade: A-

Trades: Acquired 2B Tommy La Stella from Angels in exchange for SS Franklin Barreto; Acquired LHP Mike Minor from Rangers in exchange for OF Marcus Smith and INF Dustin Harris.

The Athletics filled their two biggest needs without giving up any of their top prospects or anything significant off their major league club. The A’s weakest part of their lineup was second base, and acquiring La Stella from the Angels was a huge upgrade over the platoon of Tony Kemp and Franklin Barreto. La Stella slashed .295/.346/.486 last year for the Angels with 16 home runs and 44 runs batted in, and this year was also off to a fast start, hitting .273/371/.475 with 4 home runs and 14 runs batted in over 28 games. La Stella is also a solid defender at second base. The A’s also needed starting pitching depth, and did a great job in taking a chance on Mike Minor from the Rangers. Last year, Minor was 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA, providing 208.1 innings of work while striking out 200 batters. He’s off to an awful start this year, going 0-5 with a 5.60 ERA over 7 starts. Is his slow start because of the pressures of pitching on his free-agent year? Or does he just need a mechanical tweak? His velocity is down almost 2 mph across the board which is a concern, but he’s also throwing his slider much more than his curveball, which might be an adjustment he can make with Oakland. One thing is for sure, Minor will have a better defensive team behind him, a better offensive lineup for run support and a bigger ballpark to pitch in. All of those factors make it a worthwhile gamble for the A’s.

Seattle Mariners

Grade: A-

Trades: Traded C Austin Nola, RHP Dan Altavilla and RHP Austin Adams to the Padres in exchange for OF Taylor Trammell, RHP Andrés Muñoz, C Luis Torrens and 1B/3B Ty France; Traded RHP Taijuan Walker to Blue Jays for a player to be named later; Traded 1B/DH Dan Vogelbach to Blue Jays for cash; Acquired RHP Jimmy Yacabonis from Padres for cash; Traded RHP Taylor Williams to the Padres in exchange for RHP Matt Brash.

The Mariners continued their wheeling and dealing during their rebuild by taking advantage of the Padres’ strong need for an offensive catcher to ship a 30-year old catcher in Austin Nola and end up with yet another outfielder with huge upside in Taylor Trammell, who was the best player traded in the seven-player blockbuster. Their expansion of the deal and willingness to part with a couple of bullpen arms made sense for them, since they were also able to acquire a high-end reliever in Muñoz, who is rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery in March, a backup catcher in Luis Torrens and a corner utility infielder in Ty France. The trades with the Blue Jays that sent right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker and designated hitter Dan Vogelbach made sense, if for no other reason that to unblock prospects from important opportunities as they continue to the build the organization from the bottom up. The Mariners are expected to get a top-30 type prospect from the Blue Jays in the Walker swap.

Texas Rangers

Grade: C+

Trades: Traded RHP Ariel Jurado to Mets for a player to be named later or cash; Trade LHP Mike Minor to Athletics in exchange for OF Marcus Smith and INF Dustin Harris; Traded C Robinson Chirinos and 1B Todd Frazier to Mets for two players to be named later.

The Rangers had the attention of the baseball world in the final hour of the trade deadline, and rumors swirled that they were fielding offers for starting pitcher Lance Lynn and outfielder Joey Gallo. They never came close to a deal, despite stark interest throughout the industry. Once they concluded those deals weren’t going to go down, they quickly started dumping some of their older players, dealing 36-year-old catcher Robinson Chirinos and the 34-year old first baseman Todd Frazier to the Mets for players to be named later. Their most interesting deal was the one that sent left-handed pitcher Mike Minor to the Athletics for two teenagers in INF Dustin Harris and OF Marcus Smith. Both have upside but are a long way from the big leagues.

National League East

Atlanta Braves

Grade: D

Trades: Acquired LHP Tommy Milone from Orioles for two players to be named later. The Braves learned at the trade deadline how much value several of their top pitching prospects have lost over the last couple of years, as they just weren’t able to match up with the Indians in a trade for Mike Clevinger or the Rangers in a trade for Lance Lynn. The Braves are hamstrung from adding significant payroll, but it was the decline in trade value of several of their prospects that held them back the most. Adding Tommy Milone to the back of their starting rotation might help win them some games against division lineups. However, for them to hold on to first place, they’re going to need rookie Ian Anderson to pitch like he did in his first start, Cole Hamels to return sometime in September and someone like Kyle Wright or Mike Foltynewicz to step up in the heat of the pennant race down the stretch. Overall, a disappointing deadline for Atlanta.

Miami Marlins

Grade: B

Trades: Acquired CF Starling Marte from Diamondbacks in exchange for LHP Caleb Smith, RHP Humberto Mejía and LHP Julio Frias; Acquired LHP Richard Bleier from Orioles for a player to be named later; Acquired RHP James Hoyt from Indians for cash; Traded INF Jonathan Villar to Blue Jays in exchange for OF Griffin Conine.

The Marlins did their best balancing act, selling and buying at the same time. First, they sold on infielder Jonathan Villar, a free agent at the end of the season, trading him to the Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Griffin Conine, the son of former Marlins great Jeff Conine. Conine is a legitimate outfield prospect, belting 22 home runs last year in the Midwest League. Next came the granddaddy of their moves, when they acquired 31-year- old Starling Marte from the Diamondbacks in exchange for three pitchers: southpaw Caleb Smith, RHP Humberto Mejía and LHP Julio Frias. That seemed like a haul going back to Arizona. However, Marte is a two-time Gold Glove outfielder and former All-Star, and certainly will help upgrade their outfield. Marte was slashing .311/.384/.443 at the time of the trade with 8 doubles and 2 home runs in 138 plate appearances. The Marlins will control him through the 2021 season.

New York Mets

Grade: B-

Trades: Acquired RHP Ariel Jurado from Rangers for a player to be named later or cash; Acquired RHP Miguel Castro from Orioles in exchange for LHP Kevin Smith and a player to be named later or cash; Acquired C Robinson Chirinos and 1B Todd Frazier from Rangers for two players to be named later.

The Mets were quiet right up until the deadline, then they made a flurry of moves to acquire veteran players to try and help them get into the playoffs. First they acquired right-handed reliever Miguel Castro from the Orioles to help bolster the bullpen, though they paid a significant price in southpaw Kevin Smith, who was their minor league pitcher of the year last season. Then they turned to the Rangers and added 36-year-old Robinson Chirinos to improve their catching depth and corner infielder and 34-year-old Todd Frazier. Both players will help balance their team, adding two right-handed hitters with experience. In addition, GM Brodie Van Wagenen pointed to Frazier’s leadership quality and clubhouse energy as something he felt the Mets needed. They gave up players to be named later.

Philadelphia Phillies

Grade: B+

Trades: Acquired RHP Brandon Workman and RHP Heath Hembree from the Red Sox in exchange for RHP Nick Pivetta and RHP Connor Seabold; Traded LHP Austin Davis to the Pirates in exchange for a player to be named later or cash; Acquired RHP David Hale from Yankees in exchange for RHP Addison Russ; Acquired RHP David Phelps from Brewers in exchange for RHP Brandon Ramey, RHP Israel Puello and RHP Juan Geraldo.

The Phillies did an excellent job of improving their major-league bullpen at the deadline by adding veterans Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree from the Red Sox and then turning to the Brewers to acquire David Phelps, who was having a great season for them. Phelps appeared in 12 games this year for Milwaukee with an impressive 2.77 ERA. Both Workman and Hembree were having down years with the Red Sox, but there’s no reason to believe they won’t turn things around down the stretch. Remember, Workman was one of the top 10 relievers in baseball last year with a 1.88 ERA in 73 appearances and Hembree had a 3.86 ERA in his 45 games with them. The Phillies might have made just enough moves to make the expanded playoffs thanks to the added bullpen depth.

Washington Nationals

Grade: D

Trades: None

The Nationals made it clear they were buyers at the deadline and had no interest in selling despite the fact they’re in last place with a 12-19 record and 6 games behind the Braves. However, they really didn’t come close to making a deal, despite being as aggressive as always on the phone lines and in texts with other teams.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs Grade: B+

Trades: Acquired OF/DH José Martínez from Rays in exchange for two players to be named later; Acquired LHP Andrew Chafin from Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later; Acquired LHP Josh Osich from Red Sox for a player to be named later; Acquired OF Cameron Maybin from Tigers in exchange for SS Zack Short.

This was a strong deadline of precision smaller moves by the Cubs front office to fill needs they felt were important for down the stretch and in the postseason. First they acquired the right-handed-hitting José Martínez from the Rays. Martínez historically has raked against left-handed pitching and that was a perceived need for the Cubs, who can now DH him against most left-handers. They also wanted to improve the left side of their bullpen and acquired southpaws Josh Osich from the Red Sox and Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks, both for players to be named later. Their final move was landing veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin from the Tigers in exchange for utility infielder Zack Short. Maybin helped the Yankees down the stretch last year when he slashed .285/.364/.494 with 11 home runs and 32 runs batted in. He was hitting .244 this year with the Tigers. The Cubs felt he was an upgrade over Albert Almora Jr., who was optioned to the alternate site immediately after the trade. It wasn’t the sexy trade deadline for the Cubs but it was precision on what they needed on their bench and in their pen.

Cincinnati Reds

Grade: B+

Trades: Acquired RHP Archie Bradley and cash considerations from Diamondbacks in exchange for OF Stuart Fairchild and 2B/OF Josh VanMeter; Traded LHP Packy Naughton and a player to be named later to Angels in exchange for OF Brian Goodwin.

The Reds desperately need to add a bullpen arm and they did just that when they landed Archie Bradley from the Diamondbacks in exchange for two position players who didn’t fit in their long-term plan. Bradley appeared in 10 games this year with a 4.22 ERA, punching out 12 and walking just 3 batters in 10 2/3 innings of work. He saved 18 games for Arizona last year and has saved 6 this year. He can be used to set up Raisel Iglesias with the Reds, share the closer role or become the closer based on how he pitches. But if the Reds are going to make the playoffs they needed to add him. Bradley is controllable through the 2021 season. The Reds also picked up outfielder Brian Goodwin from the Angels to add to their plethora of outfield depth and choices. Goodwin has an on-base percentage of .330 this year, with 4 home runs and 17 runs batted in, and can play all three outfield positions.

Milwaukee Brewers

Grade: B-

Trades: Traded RHP David Phelps to the Phillies in exchange for RHP Brandon Ramey, RHP Israel Puello and RHP Juan Geraldo.

The Brewers were relatively quiet at the deadline until they decided to pull the trigger and deal Phelps to the Phillies in a clear “sell” move. However, they picked up three lower-level pitching prospects in the deal, and as bad as their farm system has become, it was a necessary move to help replenish the system.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Grade: D

Trades: Acquired LHP Austin Davis from the Phillies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash; Traded OF Jarrod Dyson to White Sox for international pool money.

The Pirates were open-minded at the trade deadline and listened and were engaged with teams, but there just wasn’t a lot of interest in the Pirates’ roster from contending teams.

St. Louis Cardinals

Grade: F

Trades: None

The Cardinals desperately needed to add a bat either in the outfield, third base or designated hitter, but instead did absolutely nothing – not even the normal precision trades that team president John Mozeliak usually makes. With a strong farm system and plenty of talent to trade, it was disappointing. However, they still have the pitching and defense to make the playoffs and they can only hope that some of their young players step up down the stretch, otherwise, even if they make the playoffs, they’re going to have a hard time advancing with their lack of offensive punch.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Grade: B- Trades: Traded CF Starling Marte to Marlins in exchange for LHP Caleb Smith, RHP Humberto Mejía and LHP Julio Frias; Traded LHP Robbie Ray and cash considerations to Blue Jays in exchange for LHP Travis Bergen; Traded LHP Andrew Chafin to Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later; Traded RHP Archie Bradley and cash considerations to Reds in exchange for OF Stuart Fairchild and 2B/OF Josh VanMeter.

The Diamondbacks sold and sold and sold. Wheeling and dealing their veteran players, clearing future salary exposure and loading up on some arms. I like their trade with the Marlins especially, getting Caleb Smith a left-handed starter with three above-average pitches. The deadline also was about throwing in the white towel for this year and getting an early start on building next year’s team. Financially, they got some much-needed salary relief.

Colorado Rockies

Grade: B-

Trades: Acquired RHP Mychal Givens from Orioles for 1B/3B Tyler Nevin, 2B/SS Terrin Vavra and a player to be named later; Acquired OF Kevin Pillar along with cash consideration in exchange for a player to be named later and international slot money.

The Rockies didn’t make a single trade or free-agent signing in the offseason, but they were active at this year’s deadline, landing reliever Mychal Givens from the Orioles and outfielder Kevin Pillar from the Red Sox. Givens should help bolster their set-up relievers as he’s yet to give up a run this year and Pillar gives them one more option in the outfield and another above-average defender, which is necessary when you play half your games at Coors Field. I thought they paid a deep price in prospects for Givens, but given their depth in the farm system, they probably could afford their overpay.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Grade: B

Trades: Traded RHP Ross Stripling to Blue Jays for RHP Kendall Williams and a player to be named later.

The Dodgers trade of Stripling to the Blue Jays opened up more opportunities for their rookie pitchers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, both of whom are more talented than Stripling and are major-league ready. The Dodgers had no glaring needs but that didn’t stop them from trying to land Mike Clevinger from the Indians, Lance Lynn from the Rangers or Josh Hader from the Brewers. They just never came close to a deal. But the Dodgers didn’t need to make a deal, and keeping the clubhouse and roster the same, I would argue, was the best play for their front office. They’re the best team in baseball right now with a strong farm system. I liked that, aside from the Stripling deal, they stood pat.

San Diego Padres

Grade: A+

Trades: Acquired RHP Mike Clevinger and OF Greg Allen from Indians in exchange for LF Josh Naylor, RHP Cal Quantrill, LHP Joey Cantillo, SS Gabriel Arias, C Austin Hedges and INF Owen Miller; Acquired RHP Trevor Rosenthal from Royals in exchange for OF Edward Olivares and a player to be named later; Traded RHP Jimmy Yacabonis to Mariners for cash; Acquired 1B Mitch Moreland from Red Sox in exchange for 3B Hudson Potts and OF Jeisson Rosario; Acquired C Jason Castro from Angels in exchange for RHP Gerardo Reyes; Acquired C Austin Nola, RHP Dan Altavilla and RHP Austin Adams from the Mariners in exchange for OF Taylor Trammell, RHP Andres Muñoz, C Luis Torrens and 1B/3B Ty France; Acquired RHP Taylor Williams from Mariners in exchange for RHP Matt Brash.

The Padres won the trade deadline and San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller was the ringleader, wheeling and dealing and improving his team to the point where they now can be considered serious World Series contenders. Preller was far and away the most active GM at the deadline, landing first baseman and designated hitter Mitch Moreland from the Boston Red Sox, closer Trevor Rosenthal from the Kansas City Royals and catcher Jason Castro from the Los Angeles Angels. He capped off the weekend with a seven-player blockbuster deal with the Mariners on Sunday, acquiring two right-handed pitchers and a much-needed offensive catcher in Austin Nola. But he wasn’t done: on Monday, he completed the biggest trade of the deadline, an eight-player blockbuster that landed them the best starting pitcher traded in right-hander Mike Clevinger from the Cleveland Indians. He also was able to get back a quality extra outfielder in Greg Allen, who has phenomenal speed and range in the outfield. Clevinger is the difference-maker for them. When you add him to Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet, you have a trio of starters who have the potential of matching up with any and every starting rotation. Not to mention that Zach Davis is a solid fourth starter and MacKenzie Gore is the best pitching prospect in baseball sitting at the alternate site. The Padres filled all of their needs at the trade deadline, and are now ready to end their 13-year playoff drought.

San Francisco Giants

Grade: D

Trades: Traded C Rob Brantly to Yankees for cash; Acquired 2B/3B Daniel Robertson from Rays for cash; Acquired LHP Anthony Banda from Rays for cash considerations.

They held on to Johnny Cueto and Kevin Gausman. They kept Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria. They kept southpaw Tony Watson. I thought at the very least they’d move the three pitchers. However, I did like their pick up of infielder Daniel Robertson, who was blocked in the Rays organization behind a plethora of better infielders, and Banda should help their struggling pitching staff as well. However, for the present or future of the Giants, little or no progress was made in making the organization better.

McCullough: Expanded playoffs are OK for 2020 — and a scourge beyond this year

By Andy McCullough

You don’t need to watch baseball this September.

This is only a slight exaggeration. You don’t. At least, not until Sept. 29, when the playoffs begin. Take the month off and come back then. All the good teams will be there. All the good teams, plus a handful culled from a collection of the mediocre, the underachieving and the snake-bitten. Such is life with a playoff system that invites 16 entrants from a 30-team league.

Before you suggest I am asking you to decamp from my lawn, consider how Yankees general manager Brian Cashman framed the situation with Aaron Judge, his team’s best hitter, on a Zoom call with fans on Friday. Judge had just returned to the injury list after aggravating his left calf. He might miss the first three weeks of September. Cashman did not portray this development as a cause for panic — even as the team stumbled through a seven-game losing streak.

“The biggest thing with him is we just have to have him ready when it counts,” Cashman said.

This might sound tone-deaf when spoken aloud by the architect of a club with a nearly $250 million payroll entering the final month of the season with the fifth-best record in the American League and only one game separating them from the eighth-place contender. Within the confines of an ordinary season, Cashman should be defecating bricks. After collecting 103 regular-season victories in 2019 but falling two short of the World Series, the Yankees showered Gerrit Cole with a record-breaking $330 million contract in December. Money like that isn’t spent to battle the Blue Jays for second place in the division.

But Cashman, of course, was presenting a perfectly reasonable position. Perhaps you have heard the 2020 season is quite different than the ones which preceded it. Part of the program is an expanded postseason. The Yankees are competent enough to qualify for a three-game, first-round series. They might have to play that series on the road, and they might draw a slightly tougher route to the World Series. But they will still get a ticket to the dance. (Oh, and with prorated salaries, the payroll is only $108 million.)

As long as their best player returns by the end of September, a fifth-place team with three teams within a game in the standings can stay the course. There is no better explanation for how expanded playoffs alter the landscape. All the competitive teams are jockeying for position before flipping coins in the first round. It is hard to wax poetic about the chase for eighth place in the National League.

By diluting the postseason pool, Major League Baseball runs the risk of reducing urgency for struggling teams, neutralizing the drama of division races and removing incentives for the elite. All three factors are apparent as this season enters its final month. The 16-team bracket was an understandable addition for the coronavirus-altered 2020 season. But it would be a scourge any year beyond this one.

The trade deadline on Monday failed to produce many significant acquisitions, save for A.J. Preller’s roster-reshaping cyclone in San Diego. “I think A.J. was single-handedly determined to make sure there was a lot of activity,” Indians president Chris Antonetti quipped. The majority of playoff contenders either made minor adjustments or stood pat. The Dodgers (first place in the National League) added no one. The Rays (first place in the American League) were quiet. The White Sox (tied for third) settled for reserve outfielder Jarrod Dyson a few days prior. The Yankees did not find a bat to fill the void created by the absence of Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The Astros (sixth place) did not acquire a pitcher to replace Justin Verlander. The Twins (seventh) did little to rouse their offense.

There is little impetus for action when the reward is slightly better seeding in the upcoming tournament. In the hours before the deadline, the White Sox were tied with Cleveland for the lead in the American League Central. The Twins trailed by a game and a half. Yet the only seismic maneuver made by any member of this trio was Cleveland sending Mike Clevinger to San Diego. A three-way dance for the division loses steam when all three teams know they’ll make the playoffs, anyway.

The brevity of the opening round also invites caution. The Dodgers entered Monday as the best team in baseball, playing at a 117-victory pace. Only three other teams in the National League had winning records. As a reward for their performance, the Dodgers still must traverse a three- game minefield. The Reds are a losing club, but they can line up Sonny Gray, Trevor Bauer and Luis Castillo. The Phillies could brandish Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. St. Louis has Jack Flaherty. Even the Mets employ Jacob deGrom.

The playoffs have always been like this. Strange things happen. The best team does not always win; the team that plays best does. The randomness only becomes heightened when the number of entrants and rounds rises. This system provides hope for middling clubs. It creates headaches for the colossuses — which makes you wonder why it would remain worthwhile for franchises to aim for that status.

“My hope and expectation is that we’re at or near the very top of the National League each year,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “And I definitely think it introduces more variance. Now, all things considered, is that a good thing or not? Through my lens, I’m only focused on it through a Los Angeles Dodgers perspective, and not appreciating or thinking about the bigger picture. From my standpoint, I think anything that adds more variance is not an ideal thing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.” There were reasons to increase the field for 2020. The money is real. The expansion presented a more attractive package for baseball’s television partners. The sport expects a $1 billion windfall in television revenue this postseason, and the MLBPA negotiated a $50 million pool for the players.

There was also an argument centered around fairness. A rash of injuries, like the one experienced by the Yankees, might prove catastrophic across 60 games. The campaign might produce undistinguished division winners. It might also not be enough time for a championship-caliber club to coalesce; the Nationals were a fourth-place team with a losing record after 60 games last year. “We think the format is especially good given our shortened season this year,” commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN in July.

That makes sense. This season is, objectively, ridiculous. Empty stadiums, imbalanced and unequal schedules, dozens of postponements. Have I mentioned that high-fives are discouraged? A watered-down postseason desecrates nothing. And since the principal goal of this endeavor was making money — millions for the players and even more for the owners — the stakeholders might as well get as much as they can. It’s not like they can count on ticket revenue.

Except the experimentation might not be limited to 2020. In February, the New York Post reported Manfred was floating a proposal that looks somewhat similar to one implemented a pandemic later: Seven teams per league. The No. 1 seed gets a bye. A trio of three-game series to cull the field to four. More games. More TV money.

Sound familiar?

The commissioner cannot snap his fingers and make it so. Any playoff alteration must be collectively bargained. The lure of guaranteed money appeals to the owners. The players could be sold on the idea that more teams will try rather than tank. But the unintended, long-range consequences could be substantial.

The industry offers differing opinions on the effect of the implementation of the wild card game in 2012. The game itself has produced wonderful theater. Some agents and executives think the additional playoff spot inspires teams on the margins to take shots in free agency, as the Reds did last winter. Others feel it hinders the mid-season trade market, as teams are wary of expending assets to qualify for one-game playoffs. And some cynics believe it is not coincidental that baseball’s recent era of austerity occurred after the arrival of the second wild-card berth.

A bigger field might decrease tanking. It might also create a different, but still insidious, dynamic in which teams are rewarded for mediocrity. A race to the bottom looks bad. So does a race to the middle.

Even in a system where the No. 1 seed earns a bye, the value of a division title gets cheapened. The difference between the No. 2 seed and the No. 7 seed would be little more than home-field advantage for a three-game series, the sort of crapshoot that has stifled aggression from this generation of risk-averse executives.

So maybe teams would leverage dollars and prospect capital in pursuit of the top spot. Or maybe they would hunker down and “be strategic.” Based on the past decade of baseball’s labor history, how do you expect teams to react?

We can already see how it will go in 2020. The built-in safety net inhibits gambling. So take a gander at the standings and come back in a few weeks. All the good teams will be right around where you left them, getting ready to flip some coins to see who advances. Hopefully, the future won’t look like this.

ESPN

Ozuna hits 3 HRs in Braves' 10-3 rout of Red Sox

BOSTON -- Marcell Ozuna hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career and finished with six RBI, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 10- 3 rout of the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Ozuna, who was 3 for 5, hit a two-run homer in the first inning, a solo shot in the seventh and a three-run blast in the eighth. It was the eight-year veteran's second multihomer effort in the last 10 games and the 10th of his career.

"He's got a really good idea what he's doing at the plate," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "He's been unbelievable for a four-week, five-week span here. That's got the makings of a really monster 162-game season."

Ozuna hit his first two homers over the Green Monster in left before launching his last to deep center. Ozuna's second homer was also his 1,000th career major league hit.

"Yesterday, I get one hit and (Braves assistant trainer) Mike Frostad said `Only two more away," Ozuna said. "Today when we (got) here, I said `I got it.' ... He said `Go hit a homer.' I said `I'm gonna try."

Austin Riley hit a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth. Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman each had an RBI for the Braves. Atlanta has won two straight after dropping three of five.

Braves right-hander Ian Anderson (2-0) allowed two runs and struck out eight over six innings in his second big league start. The 22-year-old fanned six and took a no-hitter into the sixth in his debut against the New York Yankees last Wednesday before allowing a solo homer in a 5-1 win.

"It was exciting," said Anderson, who grew up as a Red Sox fan near the Massachusetts state line in Rexford, New York. "Definitely had even more adrenaline than I had the first time. A lot of nerves, too. But (it was) fun out there."

Alex Verdugo, Rafael Devers and Jackie Bradley Jr. each had RBI singles for Boston. Robert Stock (0-1) gave up two runs on three hits after Red Sox starter Ryan Weber allowed two runs on four hits over four innings.

Boston had won two of three before a 6-3 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday.

"That game was a lot better game than the score was," Boston manager Ron Roenicke said. "It just got out of hand there at the end."

Riley hit a line-drive single with runners on second and third and nobody out to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. Inciarte beat out an infield single two batters later to double the lead.

Swanson and Freeman each hit RBI singles before Ozuna's third homer capped Atlanta's five-run eighth.

"It's tough -- you play hard, you play close and all of a sudden you have a blowout," Roenicke said.

Devers tied the game at 2-2 with a two-out single in the third after Verdugo's RBI single two batters prior.

RESET BUTTON

Earlier Tuesday, the Red Sox's official Twitter account posted a picture of a finger pressing a "reset" button on a keyboard with the caption "iykyk" - - short for "if you know you know."

It was a nod to the team resetting its competitive balance tax for the 2021 season. After receiving backlash from fans, the team deleted the tweet and later posted, "You ever miss with a tweet? Same."

Boston had the majors' sixth-highest projected payroll entering 2020 at $177,136,540.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Braves: LF Ronald Acuna Jr. (hamstring tightness) went through extensive running drills before the game but was held out of the lineup. Acuna is day-to-day and could return Wednesday. "He felt something yesterday. That was kind of what led to the caution today," Snitker said. . 2B Ozzie Albies (right wrist inflammation) is on track to begin taking batting practice by the end of the week.

Red Sox: LHP Kyle Hart tweaked his hip on a defensive play in the seventh inning, but stayed in the game. . DH J.D. Martinez (left hand) received treatment before the game and was expected to be available to pinch hit, but he did not enter the game. . LF Andrew Benintendi (right rib cage strain) is working on a treadmill and experiencing less pain but remains a ways away from baseball activities. "Unfortunately, this thing is slow like we thought it possibly could be," Roenicke said. Roenicke said Benintendi might not return this season. . LHP Darwinzon Hernandez (left AC joint sprain) is a few days away from resuming baseball activities.

UP NEXT

Braves RHP Robbie Erlin (0-0, 6.00 ERA) is set to start Wednesday's series finale in Boston. Red Sox LHP Mike Kickham will make his first MLB appearance since Sept. 13, 2014, either in an opener or long relief role.

MLB's 2020 rules changes signal future of the game

By Howard Bryant

During the post-strike 1990s, when Major League Baseball owners and players took a cease-fire from fighting just long enough for the commissioner's office to wage war with its umpires, a conspicuous graphic began appearing on baseball broadcasts nationwide: a square box in front of the catcher outlining the strike zone.

Networks said it helped viewers better identify whether a pitched ball was a strike. The commissioner's office viewed the addition as a positive, fan-friendly, in-game enhancement. Soon, the graphic would be backed by MLB partnering with a little-known digital media company called QuesTec, which would position cameras in ballparks and collect ball-strike data.

The umpires were incensed. Already engaged in hostilities with MLB, the umpires' union headed by Richie Phillips believed the graphic further pitted the public against umpires. The job was already thankless; fans had no professional respect for the difficulty of the job, evidenced by the running joke that five fans could be picked at random and umpire a game with similar results, a joke often repeated by salty managers and players. The umpires did not believe MLB's position that the strike-zone box was a harmless infographic, but felt its presence was unethical, and that baseball would first use it against them to evaluate their job performance then ultimately create sensor-based technology that one day would replace them.

The rest, as they say, is history: In a spectacular misreading of the landscape, Phillips in 1999 tried to force baseball's hand by threatening a mass resignation of baseball's umpires. Sandy Alderson, then the newly installed executive vice president of baseball operations, famously responded by calling the move "either a threat to be ignored or an offer to be accepted." Phillips led 57 of the game's 68 umpires to quit en masse, and Alderson readily accepted the resignations. Phillips went down with the ship, losing his job along with several umpires, some of whom were rehired after rounds of lawsuits with the National Labor Relations Board, but many of whom would never again work in baseball.

Most importantly, the umpires' greatest fear ultimately proved correct: MLB was using the TV strike zone graphic box and the QuesTec technology as an evaluation tool, even though neither the accuracy of the graphics nor the statistical method of data collection were agreed upon through collective bargaining. And 20 years later, casual and hardcore fans alike refer to that infographic as their guide, and robot umpiring feels imminent.

A little TV graphic was the future, and the umpires gave baseball the opportunity to remake an element of the industry it believed had run its course. This season, amid the chaotic weeks during pandemic baseball, similar trial balloons are being sent up from the commissioner's office signaling how it envisions the future of the game. Taken as emergency measures to complete a truncated season, baseball in 2020 with its scattershot rules might seem like an isolated event. But the 2020 season might very well be the revolutionary year in which the sport shifted permanently, using the pandemic and its extra-innings ghost runners on second, seven-inning doubleheaders, bizarre tilt toward interleague play and expanded playoffs as a preview of the game's future. The coronavirus pandemic has provided the perfect cover for MLB to radically reinvent itself in ways it previously never thought it could. Everything the leaders of the sport believe is holding it back is being addressed during the pandemic. This is not a coincidence.

IT'S TRUE: BASEBALL HATES TRADITION

"I don't mean to sound immodest," Bud Selig told me in his Milwaukee office one day in 2008, "but there are going to be a lot of people who are going to miss me when I'm no longer in this chair. More than you may think." The commissioner, who prided himself on being a traditionalist, was sending a message: Forces inside the game's higher ranks believed the sport had outlived its traditions, and the future lie in killing its past. The American League and National League no longer had use in a modern world. They were no longer two separate companies that intersected during spring training, the All-Star Game and World Series, like in the old days. Selig had officially consolidated the leagues under the umbrella of Major League Baseball in 1999, when he dissolved the American League and National League president positions. After Alderson trounced the umpires, the American and National leagues no longer employed separate umpires, marking another step (interleague play had begun in 1997) toward dissolving yet another boundary between the two leagues. If the AL and NL were to now live under one umbrella, it thus made no sense for teams in such close proximity, Philadelphia and Baltimore, for example, to be 99 miles apart but virtually never play each other.

Selig and his generation resisted, but 2007 and 2008 were important years. Baseball had marked 10 years of interleague play and had expanded it to an NFL-style model where each division rotated playing one another, opening the door to radical realignment: dump the leagues and join the present.

Proponents supported an abolishment of the century-old American League and National League format in favor of the Eastern/Western conference models found in the other sports. The arguments in favor were touted with enthusiasm: The game would be more modern, in line with the NBA and NHL. Travel would be much better, as the Texas Rangers were the only team in the AL West that did not play on Pacific Standard Time, and a rivalry with the Houston Astros was a natural. The same was true, rivalry-wise, of the New York Yankees and New York Mets and the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants -- new rivalries for a new generation of fans. With five teams, California could have its own division.

The arguments against: Baseball traditions and rivalries would be obliterated, as would its record books, which were often delineated by league. Never forget that baseball resisted change so hilariously and desperately that in the original NL West from 1969 to 1992, half the teams in the division were not on Mountain or Pacific Time. Atlanta and Cincinnati played in the Eastern time zone, Houston in the Central. Selig was not in favor.

The plan was a non-starter, anyway. Baseball wasn't ready, and it hadn't dealt with the immovable obstacle: the designated hitter. It wasn't possible to realign when the two leagues had been playing under two sets of rules since 1973. When Houston moved to the AL in 2013, baseball now had 15 teams in each league, forcing an interleague series to be played every day during the season. The 2016 season was emblematic of the disaster, when Detroit was fighting for a playoff spot on the final weekend of the season but played at Atlanta, which meant in the games the Tigers needed most, they had no DH and couldn't put their best team on the field. Detroit lost two of three and missed the playoffs.

National League owners had long been against the DH, for two reasons: tradition and money. In the late 1990s, the DH became one of the priciest positions in baseball with big-salary players such as Rafael Palmeiro pulling down the kind of huge money NL owners were unwilling to pay.

The coronavirus pandemic has now created an opportunity: a truncated season allowed the sport to experiment. The NL agreed to the DH. Also, it would give baseball an opportunity to more smoothly integrate interleague into the daily schedule -- so the games didn't feel like interleague games as much as they did just regular-season games. Of the Chicago Cubs' 60-game season, 20 are scheduled against American League teams. Twenty-one of the White Sox's 60 games are versus the National League. The universal DH paved the way for radical realignment. The pandemic normalized interleague, with a third of a team's games played against teams from the opposite league. Without a major announcement, the dissolving of the old league distinctions is already underway. The entire sport, for the first time in nearly 50 years, is now playing under a uniform set of rules, a major obstacle overcome.

PAY ATTENTION

Within the past five years, baseball executives found themselves obsessed by a single phrase: attention span. Overall attendance has dropped for four straight years. The last time the game added fans over the previous year was 2015; the last time it enjoyed consecutive attendance increases was 2011 and 2012, and the last time it saw at least four consecutive years of gains were 2004 to 2007. America's screen addiction has convinced the people who run the sport that the easy, pastoral pace of baseball is in special danger.

To the unbothered, fans don't come to the ballpark to speed date. They come to see baseball. When Rob Manfred took over as commissioner in 2015, however, length of game was a specific point of emphasis. When that seemed intractable, what with the Yankees and Red Sox and Astros taking pitches for sport, and the owners unwilling to ease up on the commercial breaks, the sport focused on pace of play: too much dead time for a generation of screen swipers. The incremental changes -- automatic intentional walks and mound visit reductions -- proved insufficient, leading baseball to get more radical. The league forced pitchers to face at least three batters as a way to undo the Tony La Russa legacy of incessant matchup-based pitching changes that made the final three innings take nearly as much time to play as the first six. A nine-inning game has averaged three hours every year since and including 2016; in 2019, the last full season, the average time was 3 hours, 8 minutes. The last time a baseball game averaged less than 2 hours, 40 minutes was 1984 (2:39). In 2003 and 2005, the 2:49 average time was its lowest since 1988.

The pandemic has allowed a theory that existed only in private to be expressed in public: Baseball itself is the problem. Thus the introduction of the seven-inning doubleheader was not impulsive but part of a growing orthodoxy; the sport that prided itself on not having a clock is now convinced the game is too long for the distracted 21st-century viewer -- and for itself.

Through Aug. 25, 60 seven-inning games had been played, and 91.6% were completed in less than three hours; 53% in less than 2 hours, 40 minutes; and 20% have taken less than 2 hours, 22 minutes. As of Aug. 25, the Cardinals had played 19 games, and six of which -- or 31% -- were seven innings. If it sounds like chaos, it is -- and might make a certain point: Of the Cardinals' six twin bills, the game length of five was 2:33 or less.

If baseball's objective was to reduce the length of games, the seven-inning option has succeeded.

JOURNEY TO TOMORROW

Two years ago, baseball floated the idea of taking a college football-style approach to extra innings, adding a free runner on second base to ignite quicker runs the way college football overtimes give each team the ball on the opposing 25-yard line with a chance to score. While the purists howled, the owners mollified their fears with a public assurance that the idea was just a thought for the minor leagues. But suddenly, under the cover of COVID-19, it is here.

In some ways, the evolution makes sense. If baseball is content with using relief pitchers to start games, it can no longer accommodate a 15-inning game without using position players on the mound.

Protected by the pandemic, it has chosen to play seven-inning doubleheaders, which means some teams will play multiple games decided by fewer than nine innings while others will not.

Meanwhile, for the past nine years, baseball has fought itself over another tradition: the value of a 162-game season. Baseball is the stingiest of the major sports to qualify for the postseason. Only 33% of the league -- 10 teams of 30 -- make the playoffs, as opposed to 53% of the NBA (16 of 30 teams) and 52% of the NHL (16 of 31 teams), 37% of the NFL (12 of 32 teams), and 66% of WNBA teams (eight of 12 beginning in 2016). And to preserve the regular season, for the past decade it has penalized its playoff expansion by forcing wild-card teams after 162 games to have their postseason begin with one winner-take-all elimination game.

The sport has responded by using COVID-19 to send up another trial balloon that has been discussed privately for years but stonewalled by its traditions: a shorter season with more playoff teams.

One manager told me his motto is, "Don't mess with strategy." He is comfortable with radical realignment, seven-inning games (but only for Sunday doubleheaders), a 154-game season and expanded playoffs. He is in favor of a runner on second in extra innings -- but starting in the 12th inning, not the 10th. Another AL GM told me seven-inning games for single regular-season games is unacceptable, but seven-inning doubleheaders are appropriate. Another believed baseball needn't incorporate any strategy-altering measures until it first experiments with a 20-second clock -- the sanction being an automatic ball when a pitcher violates it and automatic strike for a batter violation. He also favors the "Super Bowl of baseball" -- a neutral-site World Series.

In a sense, baseball's year of chaos has already been a success for one reason: It has created important discussion, which means now the question is simply one of negotiation; not if baseball will change, but by how much -- and when.