Mariners Moose Tracks, 3/18/20: Minor League Stipends, Justin Verlander, and Basketball in Asia

Teams step up to provide relief for players and ballpark employees.

By Anders Jorstad@AndersJorstad Mar 18, 2020, 7:00am PDT

Houston Astros v New York Mets

Happy Wednesday everyone! We’ve got some links to kick off your morning.

In Mariners news...

With players trickling out of camp, you have to imagine that a “second spring training” will take some logistical planning.

As expected, the number of Mariners staying to work out at their Peoria facility continues to gradually dwindle. There are about 24-25 players from the 40-man roster still in Arizona, plus about 7 Minor Leaguers who were allowed to stay because of their home situations.
— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) March 17, 2020

The Mariners are stepping up in order to support their ballpark staff.

Mariners have created a fund to support their event staff employees. pic.twitter.com/zQHHyvHms3
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 17, 2020

Around the league...

As of yesterday, every team in the league is pledging some money to help out their gameday staff.

Story on MLB teams pledging $30M to cover lost wages for ballpark employees. Commissioner Rob Manfred to ESPN: "I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love.”

News: https://t.co/vZciGCGwhT
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 17, 2020

Buster Olney at ESPN pitches some potential solutions for Major League Baseball in terms of trying to make the league whole following COVID-19. Ideas include extending the regular season and increasing the connection to fans.
With players left holding the bag following the postponement of the seasons, some teams are stepping up.

The Rays, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Marlins have confirmed to BA that they are currently paying minor leaguers their spring training stipends and allowances https://t.co/SKu4u0zlV7
— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) March 17, 2020

Meanwhile, the spread continues throughout baseball. I’m sure this will not be the last case in baseball, unfortunately.

The New York Yankees have informed their minor league players that another minor leaguer in the organization has tested positive for coronavirus, sources familiar with the message distributed to players tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 17, 2020

Dan Szymborski puts his analytical skills to the test and explores how teams’ odds of making the playoffs change with a shorter season. Unsurprisingly, the shorter the season, the better for Seattle.
Similarly, Craig Edwards wonders what would have happened last year if it had been shortened.
Normally, this would be major news at around this time. Now, six weeks seems like nothing for him.

Justin Verlander underwent surgery on his right groin. He's expected to miss six weeks
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 17, 2020

Set up your DVRs for Friday!

We've got some #MLBNPresents & classic games on deck!

3/17 - #Billy & the "Pine Tar Game"
3/18 - The @Phillies' & @Cubs' 23-22 game
3/19 - Mark "The Bird" Fidrych
3/20 - The 1995 @Mariners
3/21 - The Bucky Dent Game
3/22 - The 1990s @Braves

More https://t.co/eqwHWNBOhd
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 17, 2020

Anders’ picks...

There’s some good news on the horizon: Various basketball leagues in Asia are ramping up and preparing to play games soon as the Coronavirus calms down in the region.
I can’t imagine committing to going on a months-long trip where I am cut off entirely from the news, precisely for this reason.

The cast of Big Brother in Germany doesn’t know about covid-19 and they’re gonna tell them in a live TV special. I have to learn German by tomorrow. https://t.co/a0zOrIUeCD
— Dan McQuade (@dhm) March 16, 2020

And here’s some important news for all of you who have yet to file taxes.

Treasury and IRS to delay tax deadline by 90 days https://t.co/L2opfs7Y3V
— CNBC (@CNBC) March 17, 2020