| 2020 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | 2020 |
| Number of games | TBD |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| Draft | |
| Picked by | Detroit Tigers |
| Regular season | |
| World Series | |
The 2020 Major League Baseball season was scheduled to begin on March 26. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, on March 12 Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that the remainder of spring training games were cancelled and that the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks.[1] Four days later, MLB announced that the season would be postponed indefinitely, following recommendations from the CDC to restrict events of more than 50 people for an eight-week period.[2] This is the first time MLB games have been put on hold since the 2001 season, when the season was paused for over a week after the September 11 attacks.
Prior to the March 12 announcement, the regular season was scheduled to end on September 27, with the postseason scheduled to begin on September 29. The World Series was set to begin on October 20, with a potential Game 7 set to be played on October 28. The 91st Major League Baseball All-Star Game is scheduled to be held on July 14 at Dodger Stadium. The entire schedule had been released on August 12, 2019.[3] MLB has considered a number of scenarios as to how to play the season, and has vowed to hold "as many baseball games in 2020 as we can."[4]
As has been the case since 2013, the American League and National League each comprise 15 teams divided into three five-team divisions. Teams were scheduled to play 19 games against each of their four division opponents (76 games), plus six or seven games against the remaining ten teams within the same league (66 games). Thus, each team would have played 142 games against teams in their own league; the remaining 20 games of the 162-game schedule would be inter-league contests. The primary inter-league match-ups are to be AL East vs NL Central, AL Central vs NL West, and AL West vs NL East.
March 26 would have been the earliest Opening Day in Major League history. The 2019 season previously featured the earliest Opening Day (March 28), excluding occasional international opening series.[5] The delay of the opening of the season negates that possibility.
The MLB Mexico Series was to feature the San Diego Padres against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a two-game series at the recently built Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú in Mexico City, Mexico on April 18–19.[6] Major League Baseball canceled this series on March 19. If played, the series will be held in Phoenix and the Diamondbacks will be designated the "home" team.[7]
The MLB Puerto Rico Series was to feature the New York Mets against the Miami Marlins in a three-game series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 28–30.[8] Major League Baseball canceled this series on March 19. If played, the series will be held in Miami and the Marlins will be designated the "home" team.[7]
The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox are scheduled to play on August 13 in the first MLB at Field of Dreams game. A temporary 8,000-seat ballpark will be constructed on the Dyersville farm site where the film Field of Dreams was filmed. This will be the first MLB game played in Iowa since 1875.[9]
The MLB Little League Classic at BB&T Ballpark in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, coinciding with the Little League World Series, returned to the schedule for the fourth straight year. It is scheduled to be played on August 23 between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.[10]
The indefinite delay of the 2020 season has caused MLB to internally consider a number of scenarios for playing the season, as well as analysts suggesting ways it could be done. A shortened regular season, a season with many doubleheaders, and a postseason extending into November with a World Series at an indoor or warm-weather neutral site have all been suggested.[11][12]
In late March, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) reached agreement on multiple considerations related to the start of the season being delayed, including:[13]
| Team | Former GM | Reason For Leaving | New GM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | Dave Dombrowski | Fired | Brian O'Halloran | Dombrowski, whose title was President of Baseball Operations, was unexpectedly fired on September 9, 2019, less than one year after the Red Sox won the World Series.[14] On October 25, 2019, the Red Sox hired the 36-year-old Chaim Bloom as Chief Baseball Officer, succeeding Dombrowski as head of their baseball operations, with Brian O'Halloran named general manager and reporting to Bloom.[15] |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Neal Huntington | Ben Cherington | Huntington was fired on October 28, 2019. Huntington had been the longest-tenured general manager in the National League, as he was hired in September 2007. The Pirates made the playoffs three times during Huntington's tenure after the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons.[16] Ben Cherington was hired as the new general manager of the Pirates on November 18, 2019.[17] | |
| Houston Astros | Jeff Luhnow | James Click | On January 13, Luhnow was suspended for the 2020 season after the Houston Astros were involved an investigation over the use of technology to steal signs during their 2017 championship season. He was then fired by the Astros organization.[18] James Click was named the new GM on February 3. He has spent the past 14 years in the Tampa Bay Rays front office.[19] |
| Team | Former Manager | Interim Manager | Reason For Leaving | New Manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres | Andy Green | Rod Barajas | Fired | Jayce Tingler | On September 21, 2019, Green was fired after four seasons with a record of 274–366 (.428) with no playoff appearances. Bench coach Rod Barajas was named the interim manager of the Padres for the rest of the season.[20]
Tingler was named the new manager on October 28, 2019. Tingler previously spent the last five years in the Texas Rangers organization as a coach and a front office executive.[21] |
| Kansas City Royals | Ned Yost | N/A | Retired | Mike Matheny | On September 23, 2019, Yost announced that he would retire at the end of the 2019 season. He led the Royals to consecutive World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015, winning the championship in 2015. He had been the manager since May 2010. Yost finished his career in Kansas City with a 746–839 (.471) record.[22]
On October 31, 2019, Mike Matheny, who spent last season as the special advisor to Royals general manager Dayton Moore, was named the new manager of the Kansas City Royals. Matheny managed the St. Louis Cardinals from 2012 through mid-July 2018. He had a career record of 591–474 (.555). He led the Cardinals to the postseason in his first four seasons as manager and won the National League pennant in 2013.[23][24] |
| San Francisco Giants | Bruce Bochy | Gabe Kapler | On February 18, 2019, Bochy announced he would retire following the conclusion of the 2019 season after 13 seasons. He led the Giants to three World Series championships in four playoff appearances. Bochy finished with a career record of 1052–1054 (.500). [25]
On November 12, 2019, Gabe Kapler, who managed the Philadelphia Phillies for the past two seasons, was announced as the new manager. [26] | ||
| Chicago Cubs | Joe Maddon | Contract not renewed | David Ross | On September 29, 2019, the Cubs announced that they would not offer Maddon a contract extension following this season. He led the Cubs to four playoff appearances in five years, including the 2016 World Series championship, the Cubs' first since 1908. Maddon finished his tenure with the Cubs with a record of 471–339 (.581).[27]
Ross, who spent the 2015 and 2016 season with the team as a player, was named the new manager on October 24, 2019. Ross spent the last three seasons as the special assistant to baseball operations for the team as well as a baseball analyst for ESPN.[28] | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Clint Hurdle | Fired | Derek Shelton | On September 29, 2019, the Pirates announced that they dismissed Hurdle after nine seasons with a record of 735–720 (.505) with three playoff appearances.[29]
On November 27, 2019, Shelton, who spent the previous two seasons as the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, was named the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.[30] He also spent time as a hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians from 2005 to 2009 and a hitting coach for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2010 to 2016 while also serving as a quality control coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017.[31] | |
| Los Angeles Angels | Brad Ausmus | Joe Maddon | On September 30, 2019, Ausmus was fired after one season with a record of 72–90 (.444). Ausmus served as a special assistant to the Angels general manager Billy Eppler in the 2018 season.[32]
Maddon was hired by the Angels on October 16, 2019.[33] Maddon had spent 31 years in the Angels organization (12 years as a coach) before managing the Tampa Bay Rays for nine years and the Chicago Cubs for five years. | ||
| New York Mets | Mickey Callaway | Carlos Beltrán | On October 3, 2019, Callaway was fired after two seasons with a record of 163–161 (.503) with no playoff appearances.[34]
On November 1, 2019, Carlos Beltrán, who played for the team from 2005 to the middle of the 2011 season, was named the new manager of the team. Beltrán was a special adviser to the New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman last season.[35] | ||
| Carlos Beltrán | Mutual Decision | Luis Rojas | On January 16, Beltran and the Mets agreed to part ways before managing a game for the Mets, in light of his reported involvement in the Astros using cameras to steal signs.[36]
The Mets hired Rojas on January 22. He has spent the last 13 years in the Mets organization.[37] | ||
| Philadelphia Phillies | Gabe Kapler | Fired | Joe Girardi | On October 10, 2019, Kapler was fired after two seasons with a record of 161–163 (.497) with no playoff appearances.[38]
Girardi, who served as an baseball analyst for the MLB Network the last two seasons, was hired as new manager on October 24, 2019. Girardi previously managed the Florida Marlins for the 2006 season and the New York Yankees from 2008 to 2017.[39] | |
| Houston Astros | A. J. Hinch | Dusty Baker | On January 13, Hinch was suspended by MLB for the 2020 season as part of an investigation against the Astros using hidden cameras to steal signs during their 2017 championship season; he was fired by the Astros shortly after the suspension was announced. Hinch had a regular season record of 481–329 (.594) with a total of four postseason appearances compiling a record of 28–22 (.560), two World Series appearances, and a World Series championship in 2017, throughout his tenure as Astros manager.[18]
On January 29, the Astros hired Dusty Baker to replaced Hinch. He managed the San Francisco Giants from 1993 to 2002, the Chicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013, and the Washington Nationals during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. His overall managerial record is 1863–1636 (.532) in the regular season, and 23–32 (.418) in the playoffs, losing the 2002 World Series. | ||
| Boston Red Sox | Alex Cora | Ron Roenicke | Mutual Decision | TBD | On January 14, the Red Sox and Cora officially agreed to part ways with each other after two seasons. Cora had been under investigation by MLB over the Houston Astros' use of hidden cameras to steal signs during that team's 2017 championship season (while Cora was the bench coach) as well as under investigation of allegations that the Red Sox engaged in impermissible electronic sign stealing in 2018 (while Cora was the manager). In his two seasons as Red Sox manager, he compiled a record of 192–132 (.593), winning the 2018 World Series.[40]
Roenicke was promoted from bench coach to interim manager on February 11. A longtime coach, his only managerial experience was with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011 to 2015, compiling a record of 342–331 (.508), with one playoff appearance and a 5–6 (.455) record in the postseason.[41] |
The following changes, effective for the 2020 season,[42][43][44] were officially announced by MLB on February 12:[45]
On January 25, 2019, it was announced that Nike Inc. would become the new exclusive uniform supplier for all MLB teams, under a 10-year deal beginning in the 2020 season. Under Armour backed out of its existing supply agreement as a cost-cutting measure.[46]
| Team | Special occasion |
|---|---|
| All Teams | #42 patch for Jackie Robinson Day (April 15) |
| Pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness (May 10, Mother's Day) | |
| "Play Ball" patch in partnership with USA Baseball and USA Softball (May 30–31) | |
| Blue Ribbons for prostate cancer awareness (June 21, Father's Day) | |
| Gold Ribbons for childhood cancer (August 28) | |
| Atlanta Braves | 25th Anniversary of 1995 World Series Championship |
| Baltimore Orioles | 50th Anniversary of 1970 World Series Championship |
| Chicago Cubs | 2020 MLB London Series (June 13–14) |
| Chicago White Sox | MLB at Field of Dreams (August 13) [47] |
| Kansas City Royals | "DG" patch in memory of former owner David Glass |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 2020 All-Star Game |
| Miami Marlins | MLB Puerto Rico Series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico (April 28–30) |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 50th Anniversary in Milwaukee |
| Minnesota Twins | 60th season in the Twin Cities |
| New York Mets | MLB Puerto Rico Series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico (April 28–30) |
| New York Yankees | MLB at Field of Dreams (August 13) [47] |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 40th Anniversary of 1980 World Series Championship |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 60th Anniversary of 1960 World Series Championship |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 2020 MLB London Series (June 13–14) |
| Texas Rangers | First season at Globe Life Field |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Canadian flag patch for Canada Day (July 1) |
| Washington Nationals | 2019 World Series Championship (April 2) |
Wholesale changes
The San Diego Padres have changed the primary colors of their uniforms from navy blue to brown and gold. [48]
The Arizona Diamondbacks tweaked their uniforms, including removing the darker away uniforms and the diamond pattern on the uniforms. [49]
The St. Louis Cardinals have made some changes to their logo, as it appears on their caps. [50]
The Cincinnati Reds added a new alternate jersey and a new spring training jersey. [51]
The Washington Nationals have added two new alternate hats and one alternate (white) jersey. [52]
The Milwaukee Brewers have introduced new uniforms, including a return to the ball-in-glove logo. They also switched out their gold color to yellow.[53]
The Minnesota Twins have a new alternate, which brings back the powder blue of the past. [54]
The Pittsburgh Pirates brought back the script "Pittsburgh" from the 1990s on new alternate and road uniforms, along with a gold outlined "P" on their caps. [55]
The Texas Rangers have introduced a new powdered blue jersey along with a powdered blue hat. They also changed the "Texas" wordmark to "Rangers" wordmark on their white jersey. They also revealed a new red hat with the state of Texas on it with "TX." [56]
The Toronto Blue Jays have a new alternate, which brings back the powder blue of the past. [57]
This will be the Texas Rangers' first season at Globe Life Field, replacing Globe Life Park in Arlington where they played 26 seasons, from 1994 to 2019. The team will play its first regular-season game in their new venue against the Los Angeles Angels, originally on March 31, on a date to be determined after the pandemic hiatus.[58]
The Miami Marlins will convert Marlins Park from a natural grass surface to the same artificial turf variety, Shaw Sports B1K, that the Arizona Diamondbacks installed at Chase Field in 2019. The field's fences will also be moved in closer to encourage power hitting.[59]
The Atlanta Braves SunTrust Park has been renamed Truist Park after SunTrust Banks's merger with BB&T Bank into Truist Financial.[60]
This will be the seventh year of the current eight-year deals with Fox Sports, ESPN, and TBS. Fox will air eight weeks of baseball on Saturday nights leading up to the 2020 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which will also air on Fox. Fox then will televise Saturday Afternoon games for the final three weeks of the season. Fox will also televise the MLB at Field of Dreams game on August 13. FS1 will televise games on Tuesday night and on Saturday both during the afternoon and night. ESPN will televise games on its flagship telecast Sunday Night Baseball as well as Monday and Wednesday Nights. TBS will televise games on Sunday Afternoons for the last 13 weeks of the season. Fox and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts will be exclusive; all other national telecasts will be subject to local blackout.
TBS will televise the American League Wild Card Game, Division Series and Championship Series. ESPN will televise the National League Wild Card Game. FS1 and MLB Network will televise the National League Division Series. Fox and FS1 will televise the National League Championship Series. The World Series will air exclusively on Fox for the 21st straight year.
In Chicago, new television deals resulted in the end of free-to-air regional telecasts for the city's two franchises. In February 2020, the Cubs launched the team-owned Marquee Sports Network, a joint venture with Sinclair Broadcast Group. The White Sox (as well as the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL and Chicago Bulls of the NBA) signed exclusively with NBC Sports Chicago under a multi-year deal.[61][62][63]
In November 2019, MLB owners voted unanimously to revert "certain in-market digital [streaming] rights" to the teams themselves.[64][65]
San Francisco Giants color commentator Mike Krukow and team broadcaster NBC Sports Bay Area announced that he would call 22 road games against NL West opponents from the network's San Francisco studios (using monitors and audio feeds to watch the game and communicate with his play-by-play partner Duane Kuiper). Krukow's inclusion body myositis has left him unable to travel with the team.[66]
Due to the delay of the start of season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the retirement ceremonies listed below will not happen until further notice.