:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68523187/QRLKWQIAMZDGBDBC4NQKAFDC5Y.0.jpg)
Diamondbacks News
What Does It Mean to “Compete”?
It is one thing to be a competitive team. It is something else to be a team in a position to actually compete for something meaningful. Jeff Wiser talks about these differences and some of the moves (or non-moves) to be on the lookout for to get an idea of which category the Arizona Diamondbacks are likely to land in for 2021.
“Dynamic” Ketel Marte Could Play at Three Positions in 2021
IN a Zoom conference, Torey Lovullo praised Ketel Marte’s athletic ability and versatility. It was alluded to that Marte, who has seen action at both center field and second base over the last two seasons, could continue to see his time split, possibly even adding in some time at shortstop. This is not great news for those in agreement with Jeff Wiser, above.
MLB Mock Draft: Diamondbacks Re-draft a Familiar Face
MLB’s writers, led by Jim Callis have mocked the Arizona Diamondbacks selecting former snub, Matt McLain, the shortstop out of UCLA with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Other Baseball News
MLB Reportedly Looking to Delay Season Until a May
As has been openly speculated for a while now, MLB’s ownership groups are looking at delaying the start of the season until at least May, unwilling to start the season without the option of having fans in the stands. The hope is that vaccine that is just now rolling out in the United States will be widely dispersed by then and baseball can then go back to business as usual - even if it means shortening the season down to 120-140 games. While this is far less about actual public health and safety than it is ownership’s bottom line, the fact remains that their stance happens to also fall squarely on the side of reasonable health caution.
MLBPA Planning on 162-Game Season
It is almost as if it just wouldn’t be baseball without labour unrest. While the owners are preparing for a second shortened season, the players are gearing up to insist upon playing a full 162 game season, complete with full salaries. Pandemic relaities are likely to throw cold water all over this plan, though the MLBPA has made it clear that it is willing to negotiate modifying the schedule (truncating or simply shifting), so long as all players get paid for a full 162-game season. There’s still a bit of time for this to be worked out, so go ahead, go pop some popcorn before this show gets heated.