Ever since people started speculating about what the 2020 season would be like, people have been wondering what, in these pretty crazy and uncertain times, could cancel the season.
Over the weekend, SNY’s Andy Martino obtained the MLB portion of the health and safety protocols that talk about it. And it turns out there are three things that could trigger a season cancellation. The three triggers:
(1) if restrictions are imposed on travel in the United States;
(2) if there is a material change in circumstances in a way that the Commissioner determines, after consultation with recognized medical experts and the Players Association, that it represents an unreasonable health and safety risk to players or staff to organize such games , even without fans in attendance; or
(3) if the number of players unavailable for service due to COVID-19 is so great that the competitive integrity of the season is undermined.
The first factor is obviously objective. The last two are obviously subjective, left to Rob Manfred’s judgment. I’m not sure what, exactly, would trigger such judgments. There is no set number of positive tests or missing players that can tip the scales, for example. But given that the recent surge in positive evidence, both domestically and on the MLB rosters, has not spurred such discussion, I have to imagine it would be a pretty dire set of circumstances.
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Major League Baseball announced Sunday that Pirates pitcher Edgar Santana and four minor league players have been suspended for using drugs to improve performance. Baseball is back, baby.
Santana received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Boldenone. The 28-year-old last pitched in the majors in 2018. He spent 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Reds minor league pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez (pictured) has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for stanozolol. Dodgers minor league pitchers Reza Aleaziz and Juan Idrogo were suspended 50 and 72 games after testing positive for amphetamine and gw501516, respectively. The Twins’ minor league second baseman, José Rosario, was suspended 50 games after testing positive for a drug of abuse a second time.
It’s unfortunate that minor league players could have served part of their suspensions in 2020 if it had been a normal year. Unfortunately, there will be no Minor League Baseball this year, so they will have to serve their suspensions in 2021.
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