The When Will The 2021 MLB Season Start Thread

Wingack

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A little news on that front today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/01/31/mlb-players-union-expected-reject-proposal-delay-start-season/4332399001/
The Major League Baseball Players Association is expected Monday to reject MLB’s proposal to delay the season by a month after having discussions among the sub-executive council and player representatives, two people with knowledge of the talks told USA TODAY Sports. The people requested anonymity because the negotiations are ongoing.

The union has not informed MLB of a formal decision or made a counterproposal, but plan to officially reveal their position Monday.

MLB proposed a 154-game season on Friday in which spring training would start March 22 and opening day on April 28. Players would receive full pay as if they played 162 games and Commissioner Rob Manfred would retain authority to suspend the season for health reasons, according to four people with direct knowledge of the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly. The proposal also includes a universal DH and an expanded postseason to 14 teams.

The union has steadfastly rejected the expanded postseason proposal in talks this winter, believing it would disincentivize teams’ willingness to spend if it would be easier to qualify for the playoffs. The proposal, with rosters mostly set, would be only for the 2021 season, which the two sides agreed to last season just hours before Opening Day.

MLB and the union still could agree on an expanded postseason, along with a DH by opening day, but the union still wants a full 162-game season, believing fewer games could damage its position in the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations, which expires Dec. 1.
 

scottyno

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extra month delay can't hurt sale and erod if the sox are going to compete this year
 

jon abbey

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Starting the season May 1 and playing 154 just makes too much sense not to happen both in COVID times and going forward. The brutal weather in the northeast and midwest make games in April a joke.
That’s too many games to start May 1, the weather at the end of the season is just as bad.
 

Wingack

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I wonder if by starting on May 1, there is a chance rosters and staff can be fully vaxxed, and then they will be able to avoid any extended team shutdowns during the season.
 

bosockboy

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I wonder if by starting on May 1, there is a chance rosters and staff can be fully vaxxed, and then they will be able to avoid any extended team shutdowns during the season.
Possible but there will be a ton of backlash if pro athletes skip the vaccination line so they can earn millions a year to play baseball.
 

j-man

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i say add 2 teams Nashville and san antonio and move tampa to Charlotte and make the div like this AL East NYY BOS BALT TOR DET CLE CHW CHARLOTTE AL WEST MINN KC HOU SA TEX SEA LAA OAK

NL East ATL NYM MIA PHILLY WASH PITT CINY Nashville NL West col st louis cubs milw zona sd lad sf still 162 games no interleage games 16 games against your div 6 games against eash team the other div
 

NJ_Sox_Fan

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I really don’t think MLB owners want to play games until they can have some fans at least in the stands.
 

VORP Speed

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Season should be April 15-Sept 15, 154 games, 4 and 5 game series to reduce travel, frequent 7 inning doubleheaders, 28 man rosters, universal DH.

Get rid of a couple of weeks of awful weather at beginning, create room for expanded playoffs and still finish season earlier in October than currently, more MLB roster spots and more playing time to go around (because of double headers and more crowded schedule), less travel, more schedule fairness because you see more of the other team’s pitchers in a series.
 

Max Power

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For reference, this is when the regular season started and ended for the Red Sox....

1960, the last year of 154 games
April 18 - October 2

1970, second year of the LCS
April 7 - September 30

1980
April 10 - October 5

1990
April 9 - October 3

2000
April 4 - October1

2010
April 4 - October 3

2019
March 28 - September 29

So between 1970 and 2019, an extra week of off days was put into the schedule. While they did that, Opening Day moved from the third week of April, to the second week, to the first, to the last week of March. I'd much rather see more doubleheader makeup days than building so many off days that most of the country is dealing with snow for Opening Day.
 

brs3

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I wonder if by starting on May 1, there is a chance rosters and staff can be fully vaxxed, and then they will be able to avoid any extended team shutdowns during the season.
I would be out on MLB for the season and possibly forever if professional athletes are vaccinated before my parents. I'm putting this in writing to hold my feet to it when it undoubtedly happens.
 

axx

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I would be out on MLB for the season and possibly forever if professional athletes are vaccinated before my parents. I'm putting this in writing to hold my feet to it when it undoubtedly happens.
Hey, Don't blame MLB because your state is slow. They probally won't though, because of the side effects of the second dose would disrupt things for a day or two.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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I am a little surprised that the players didn't counter. They could have stripped out some of the extraneous matters (including expanded playoffs, which they view as too much of a give to management, and need to save for the CBA renegotiation) and just come back with a deal on the 154 game season with a delayed start and no salary reductions. I read that the players didn't even counter with this because of "injury concerns" with the fewer off days and more doubleheaders, but they probably could have worked this to get expanded rosters (and more MLB jobs for union members). And universal DH, if they wanted it.

I think there are some obvious health and safety risks of starting spring training and the regular season on time, but the players are apparently willing to take these risks. We'll have to see how it goes, and how extensive the problems becomes when some of the players inevitably start testing positive. Canceling games or having player miss games in spring training is no big deal, but obviously is a far greater concern one the regular season starts, and travel (and potential exposure) becomes more extensive.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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To anyone curious about MLBPA’s side of this, this thread explains why they didn’t make a counter-offer in a way that I feel like I understood.
Thanks for the link.

But I'm also a labor lawyer (like Eugene, who I know and used to work with) and I'll disagree slightly with what he said. While it's true that because there is a CBA in place, the MLBPA had no duty to bargain, and did not have to make a counter. But there are ways that they could have responded and continued discussions without "reopening" the CBA. In which case, the would sign an MOU (memorandum of understanding) to modify the agreement only if/when an agreement was reached.

So there could have been continued discussions on this if the union was at all interested in an early start to the season. Apparently, they are not.That's there prerogative, since there's already an agreement in place that sets the length of the season and schedule.
 

axx

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I think there are some obvious health and safety risks of starting spring training and the regular season on time, but the players are apparently willing to take these risks. We'll have to see how it goes, and how extensive the problems becomes when some of the players inevitably start testing positive. Canceling games or having player miss games in spring training is no big deal, but obviously is a far greater concern one the regular season starts, and travel (and potential exposure) becomes more extensive.

Now if the J&J vaccine gets approved it's possible the players could take that at some point since it's only one shot.