After a long battle with Major League Baseball owners and the MLB Players Association, there is finally a set date for baseball to return. It has been decided that they will play 60 games beginning on July 23 or 24.
Players will be able to report to training camp on July 1. They will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and every other day during the season.
Spring training for most teams will take place in their home ballpark rather than their usual spring training facility. Also, Florida and Arizona have both seen recent spikes in positive coronavirus cases.
The players will be paid the full prorated portion of their salaries for the season. This will come out to be around 37% of their original salary.
The designated hitter rule will apply to both leagues, and the trade deadline will be moved to Aug. 31. There are also several safety precautions such as no spitting, masks for non-playing personnel, and people must remain six feet apart.
Another abnormal site to see will be the lack of celebrating. No high fives, chest bumps, or handshakes will be happening this season.
Odds to Win
In a shortened season, experts believe many more teams will have a chance to make the postseason. All it takes is for someone to get hot.
However, the odds near the top didn’t change much. Here are the odds from William Hill Sportsbook for the odds to win the World Series.
- Dodgers: 13/4
- Yankees: 7/2
- Astros: 12/1
- Twins: 16/1
- A’s: 16/1
- Braves: 17/1
- Nationals: 18/1
- Mets: 18/1
- Angels: 18/1
- Cubs: 20/1
- Rays: 22/1
- Reds: 22/1
- Cardinals: 30/1
- Indians: 30/1
- Phillies: 30/1
- White Sox: 30/1
- Red Sox: 35/1
- Brewers: 40/1
- Diamondbacks: 50/1
- Padres: 50/1
- Rangers: 100/1
- Giants: 125/1
- Rockies: 200/1
- Blue Jays: 200/1
- Pirates: 300/1
- Mariners: 300/1
- Royals: 300/1
- Orioles: 500/1
- Tigers: 500/1
- Marlins: 500/1
Changes by the Numbers
Because of the 60-game season, fans will see new totals for wins, home runs, saves, etc. Experts can only guess what the totals for some of these will be. With the whole season being 60 games, it’s not quite the same as the first 60 games of a normal season.
How many wins will the team with the best record have?
“Forty to 43 seems about right,” said ESPN MLB expert Bradford Doolittle. “The one wild card is that we don’t know if or how the separation of talent between teams might become magnified when teams know they have 60 — and only 60 — games in which to distinguish themselves.”
It could also hurt some players. Some that are at the end of their careers are on quests to reach certain goals or achievements.
“I mostly worry about Miguel Cabrera and his quests for 500 homers and 3,000 hits,” says Doolittle. “Given what’s left on his contract, he should be OK. But the bottom could drop out of his performance at any time.
“Down the line, we’ll see several players falling just short of historic milestones. But as far as Hall consideration goes, I think we’re sophisticated enough to make the adjustment.”
