It has been just a couple of days since Major League Baseball and the players reached an agreement on the 2020 season and it has been a bit of a blur trying to understand the ins and outs of what will be a truncated, 60-game regular season. Amid the many rule changes for 2020 are some pretty significant roster rules. The transaction freeze ended on Friday and teams will have until Sunday at 4 p.m. to submit their 60-man player pool for the upcoming season.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand released a FAQ on the roster and transaction rules for the 2020 season on Friday. Some highlights include:
- Players can be dropped from the 60-man player pool but can not be added back during the 2020 season.
- The trade deadline will be August 31 and the only players that are eligible to be traded this season will be those that are included on the 60-man player pools.
- The Taxi Squad will consist of three players not on the active roster that will be allowed to travel during road trips. One of those players must be an extra catcher who will also serve as the bullpen catcher during games.
Atlanta Braves News
With the transaction freeze now over, the Braves placed right-hander Jeremy Walker on the 45-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. Walker’s shoulder first started bothering him right before Spring Training was initially shut down.
MLB News
While there has been plenty of bad press in regards to the negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA, that doesn’t mean that a strike or a lockout is inevitable once the current CBA expires in December 2021. FanGraphs’ Craig Edwards highlights how both sides could avoid a work stoppage.
The Toronto Blue Jays still have not notified their players where they will hold spring camp but are hoping to do so sometime this weekend. The recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Florida has the Blue Jays seeking permission to hold training camp in Toronto.
Longtime Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is still deciding whether or not he will play in 2020. Zimmerman isn’t a high-risk but has a 3-week-old baby at home and his mother has multiple sclerosis and is super high-risk.