We are not going to know for a long time when the baseball season is going to start _ if ever. Amid some predictions the country could still be in the grips of the coronavirus into midsummer, we cannot rule out the possibility there may be no baseball season at all this year.
If that turns out to be case, then what?
Believe it or not, there are some clubs that probably wouldn't mind if 2020 came and went without having to put their teams on the field. Teams like the Yankees, who paid $324 million to one pitcher alone to assure themselves a World Series, and the Dodgers, who added free agent-to-be Mookie Betts to a team that won 106 games last year, were heavily invested in the 2020 season. Those teams in no way want to see it get banged.
The Braves, Nationals and Mets were looking forward to battling it out in the most competitive division in baseball. The White Sox were eager to display their rookie wunderkind center fielder, Luis Robert, and the Cardinals always contend for the most fervid fan base in the sport. They were all looking forward to this season.
But because there is still so much competitive imbalance in baseball, there are far more teams _ the Red Sox, Orioles, Rockies, Giants, Pirates and Marlins to name a few _ that could just as well do without a season. They had no chance of contending, and attendance was likely to hemorrhage. And then there are the Astros, who took a beating from the fans all spring and for sure had to welcome the abrupt cancellation of spring training.
Taking them one at a time:
