Good morning everyone! We still have no clarity on where MLB negotiations are headed, and every week is dubbed “the most important” for discussion. Right now it’s just a waiting game. Here’s all of the latest.
In Mariners news...
- David Laurila at Fangraphs spoke to Kendall Graveman about his sinker.
Around the league...
- Whether or not the MLB owners truly feel pressure from other sports is a question I’m interested in knowing the answer to.
MLB has little choice but to negotiate a deal w/players now. MLB can’t punt on the season when every other sport — including contact sports — are intending to play. And it’s apparent MLB finds mandating a season (and the specter of a grievance and books being opened) unpalatable
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 16, 2020
- This is getting really bad.
Hearing that six owners that don't want a season. @Ken_Rosenthal reports 8 or more. Urgency for Manfred to corral his group before that number grows.
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) June 16, 2020
- Michael Baumann at The Ringer wonders how these very public negotiations could impact the sport’s future.
- Uh oh, another potential scandal in the sport brewing.
Before his death, Rudy Santin told federal investigators that MLB teams were making handshake deals with Latin American prospects as young as 12 only to back out at the last second.
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 16, 2020
Now, the feds are investigating. https://t.co/vOkxO5akZ6 pic.twitter.com/Y5EePFIfjA
- Former NFL quarterback Christian Hackenberg is considering taking a run at baseball.
- Kiley McDaniel at ESPN gives his full MLB draft analysis for each team. ($)
- As many expected, undrafted players were paying attention to how teams were treating their minor leaguers during this time.
“We looked deeply at minor league development and how they treated their minor leaguers. It just made my decision a lot easier.”
— Emma Baccellieri (@emmabaccellieri) June 16, 2020
I talked to undrafted players who signed with the Royals and (surprise!) a key factor was the org's support of minor leaguershttps://t.co/uwTxyUaQDE
- Dr. Anthony Fauci doesn’t like the idea of Major League Baseball playing deep into October.
Anders’ picks...
- The NBA really is taking a lot of precautions as they get back to business.
Per me and @sam_amick: The NBA will create an anonymous hotline to report potential violations of protocols in Orlando.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 17, 2020
- Emerald City Comic Con is officially canceled for 2020.
Emerald City Comic Con is not just an event that happens over a handful of days, it’s a community. It is OUR community. What has made #ECCC so special are the people, their stories, & their experiences. We care about you & your safety. That will always come first. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/wIgSi0fZij
— Emerald City Comic Con (@emeraldcitycon) June 16, 2020