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The Impacts of Not Having a 2020 MLB Season
The negotiations between the MLBPA and owners has come to another impasse, with commissioner Rob Manfred amending his stance that there would be a baseball season this year, saying "I'm not confident" on ESPN regarding the 2020 season beginning. SI's Tom Verducci shares the impact of not having a 2020 MLB season.
"Why even bother?" You might be wondering if players themselves are asking that question if the season is as short as 48 games. The answer is that the financial incentive to return is enormous. Players who opt not to return and do not have an individual or family medical reason for doing so would probably not accrue service time. Service time is a critical element when it comes to player compensation is how they qualify for arbitration and for free agency not coming back. Also means an entire year away from competition, which could affect future performance and thereby future earnings. It also would defy teammates who do come back and it would signal to fans that they don't care - so why should the fans? The bottom line is that the cost of not coming back, even for a 48 game season, is very high.
Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.