As we stand, there is still no definitive resolution on when baseball (or any major sport for that matter) will return. Major League Baseball is bouncing around ideas, but to this point, there is still no traction on a definitive solution.
Despite being without games, there is still plenty of news out there, ranging from a unique proposal for baseball in 2020 to the unfortunate passing of a team owner. Let’s look at some of the news from this past week:
Two Brand New Leagues?
While the idea of playing baseball solely in Arizona was reported last week, an even more unique idea has been floated around this week. The idea is not to limit baseball to just Arizona, but Arizona and Florida. If those two locations sound familiar, it is because that is the location of the two spring training sites every year.
Under the proposal, the American and National Leagues would be essentially cast aside for a year. Instead, the leagues would comprise of the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.
The teams would return to their spring training sites, and baseball would be played amongst the other teams in their respective spring training leagues. For instance, the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, teams from opposite leagues who share a spring training site (not to mention the most recent World Series participants), would not only be in the same league but likely the same division.
There are hurdles to this, just like the all-Arizona plan. For instance, would the designated hitter be disbanded or universal for a year?
Regardless, it shows that the league is still hopeful that baseball can be played this year and is willing to think outside the box to do so.
Two Sluggers Officially Announce Retirements
Two sluggers have recently decided to hang it up as both Mark Reynolds and Steve Pearce announced their retirements this week.
Reynolds has played with eight different teams over 13 years. Reynolds played with the Colorado Rockies for part of the season last year before being cut loose.
In that time, he just .170/.290/.311 with four home runs, 20 runs batted in and 13 runs scored. It was just a couple years ago, in 2017, that he still hit a productive .267/.352/.487 with 30 home runs, 97 runs batted in, and 82 runs scored, but it has been pretty much downhill since.
Pearce has also decided to hang it up after a career that started in 2007. He is best known for his World Series MVP performance for the Boston Red Sox in 2018.
Pearce was a late bloomer as he didn’t have a true breakout season until he was 31. In that season, back in 2014, he hit .293/.373/.556 with 21 home runs.
Unfortunately, in recent years, he has struggled with injuries. Last year, with Boston, he only played in 29 games, hitting under .200 and managing just one home run.
Steinbrenner Passes Away
In some sad news, New York Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner has passed away due to what the Yankees have described as a “longstanding health issue.” Due to those issues, Hank has not been as involved in the franchise as much as of late, instead giving way to his brother Hal, who has taken control of most operations.
Hank (and his brother Hal) took over the Yankees back in 2010 when their father, George Steinbrenner, passed away. While the legacy of the New York Yankees is a storied one that can withstand the test of time, it is still a very sad time in Yankee nation.
