As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the MLB has suspended Spring Training and Opening Day.
With the way this outbreak is looking, there is actually a chance that the MLB does not have a season this year. Hopefully, that is not the case, but if there is not a shortened season, there may just be no baseball season.
Mariano Rivera has had some strong feelings on what would happen if there was to be a shortened season, and he does not really think a team could call themselves real champions after such a short season.
Mariano Rivera: 'You can't call yourself a champion' after 60-game season. https://t.co/u6it7ksloR pic.twitter.com/lsnMzh1vzI
— theScore (@theScore) March 21, 2020
However, if there is no baseball in 2020, a question needs to be brought up. What happens with contracts?
There are significant players in baseball, especially on the Yankees, where their contracts are very important to their teams.
The Yankees just signed the best pitcher in baseball, Gerrit Cole, to the biggest contract given to a pitcher in baseball history. His contract is nine years long, but without baseball, does it skip a year and the Yankees are left with eight years of Cole?
The Yankees signed all arbitration-eligible players to one-year deals; Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, James Paxton, Gio Urshela, Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Jonathan Holder, Tommy Kahnle, and Jordan Montgomery. What happens to them without a baseball season?
Brett Gardner signed a one year deal with the Yankees, and without baseball, he gets a whole year older without playing any baseball. Hopefully, there is some baseball for him to benefit from, so he is able to play some baseball on his one year deal.
Aside from the Yankees, the Dodgers must be eagerly hoping for baseball. Mookie Betts signed a one year deal with the Red Sox to avoid arbitration, and then the Red Sox traded him to the Dodgers in a blockbuster deal. Do we even see Mookie Betts play for the Dodgers in the regular season and/or the playoffs?
Hopefully, the MLB provides some information on what would happen with the contracts, as there are many contracts throughout the MLB that teams would not want to lose any years on.
There could possibly be a pause on contracts if there is no baseball season, and the contracts would resume once the 2021 season begins.
Featured Image: Associated Press/Carlos Osorio
