The Nationals held a team vote on the club’s scheduled upcoming trip to play the coronavirus-stricken Marlins in Miami, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The “vast majority” of players oppose boarding the flight.
This was more of a straw poll than a binding vote, as Major League Baseball possesses decisionmaking authority on scheduling. But the fact it was held at all represents a message sent upstairs by the defending World Series champs.
There are several possible issues with the weekend series. Traveling to and from Miami is its own problem, given the local covid outbreak there. And taking the field against the Marlins is a concern regardless of the location, as the team has now registered 15 positive tests among active-roster players.
How the league handles this matter could well decide whether the 2020 season regains its footing. Over the weekend, the Marlins inexplicably took the field against the Phillies after multiple positive tests, evidently based solely upon the collective sentiment within the Miami clubhouse. Surely, Major League Baseball will look to gain control over the process — and, to some extent, the outcomes — by proactively determining the best course of action as test results are received.
I can’t even remotely blame the Nats for voting this way
Yep.
Next up, breaking news: Washington nationals decide to opt out of season rather than go to miami
COVID19 is a scamdemic. 99% of these guys will recover. If everyone is that scared cancel this joke of a 60 game season. Cancel baseball forever because this Coronavirus isn’t going away. Be scared be afraid but I won’t be!
And this is exactly why the recovery is going to take longer than necessary, because of people like you
@Manfredsajoke
You are the problem.
Millions of people like you, running around, ignoring safety measures, spreading virus, killing people with proudly cultivated ignorance.
@terrmesmer. I fully agree and endorse your statement. Manfred is heading towards serious legal liability and the same could be said about manfredsajoke.
Can we have this comment deleted please? Otherwise many individuals will follow suit.
Russian bot! Don’t even respond to his postings.
If Mattingly really let some of those guys play after they tested positive he needs to be fired. Should probably be suspended and fined too. This joke of a season is rapidly turning into a poopshow. Somehow it seems fitting that the Marlins would be at the epicenter of this mess.
Agree
The players fail to socially distance and it’s someone else’s fault? They are still out there giving high fives and slapping each other on the you know whats. The pitchers are sitting 1-2 chairs from each other in the stands without masks pulled up having loud conversations and sharing popcorn.
I mean, that sounds like a manager who has 0 control over his roster.
He absolutely deserves blame for it and should see a suspension / fine at the minimum.
No one who already knew the results of their test played, and all who played had previously tested negative. The problem is that players were allowed to play at all in the lag between testing and getting the results back, which clearly is protocol that MLB did not have in place properly.
That is not an excuse AT ALL. The Marlins were criminally negligent. They knew they were exposed to other teammates with positive tests and anyone else who isn’t in the MLB would have had to quarantine immediately until they tested. The fact that Mattingly, Rojas and the rest of the guys chose to play even after knowing about the positives is an outrage. The Miami Herald has an article with quotes that proves the Marlins made a conscious decision to play the Phillies even after knowing they were all exposed to teammates who tested positive. It’s seriously insane.
So how come the Marlins got to decide that they would put other people in danger, but the Nats can’t decide for themselves to stay out of danger? Seems a little backwards to me
” anyone else who isn’t in the MLB would have had to quarantine immediately until they tested.”
Nail on head. This is why the MLB 2020 season will fail — they needed to create their own rules, and get special exemptions from states/locals to come in for a few days and leave..
Complete Fail on management.
I wrote yesterday on a Blue Jays blog:
Marlins players tested positive, PLAYED THE NEXT GAME ANYWAY, then when the infections were made public, Mattingly informed the press: “We never considered not playing.” He added that the players were united — as if being stupid and reckless magically transforms into virtue as long as you are united!
Mattingly also said, “It feels safer in Miami than anywhere.” Miami-Dade county is a raging hotspot in a worldwide pandemic. Miami-Dade has the population of Toronto but this week will pass all of Canada for total coronavirus infections!
Don Mattingly needs to be suspended indefinitely by the league, and the Marlins front office too.
Agreed! If it comes out that players played while knowingly having COVID, individuals with knowledge should be removed, fired and (possibly) have litigation taken out against them. Absolutely ludicrous of MLB.
Did the Marlins take the field this weekend knowingly they had some positive cases?
That’s my question and does anyone know for sure not just rumors?
The Marlins found out Sunday morning that Cooper, Ramirez, and Urena had tested positive. Those guys stayed quarantined at the hotel. Everyone else on the team presumably had tested negative, but after the new cases the rest of the team then took tests again. Those results wouldn’t come back until that night though, and in the mean time the rest of the team decided to take the field, under the assumption that they were all healthy since they had previously passed the tests.
And that is part of the problem. COVID has a long incubation period. You can spread it to so may people before ever testing positive.
There’s no way this season can make it the full 60 games, much less play offs.
bigjon, shouldn’t we find out how patient zero got this before jumping to conclusions about cancelling the season.
There are contact specialist with each clubs. If patient zero got this hooking up with a girl in a bar, would that be relevant to you.
The players association would keep that hidden at all cost. But people think it’s the players association that wants to protect players. As we learned in the PED era, they couldn’t care less about protecting players.
What’s your obsession with the idea players hooking up with women? There are a million other ways someone could be exposed that are not as salacious. That’s at least the third time I’ve seen you bring it up in the last couple of days.
How does finding “patient 0” (which doesn’t really apply in this case) matter if the problem is that half a team has the virus?
Where someone got it has little relevance if they’ve spread it to enough players to threaten the leagues ability to field full teams.
And if this has happened after only 4 games, how do we expect to make it to 60?
This season is a joke and although probably necessary for the nations collective psyche, is just a distraction from the mess that we should be focused on: the pandemic and the mess that is our national leadership.
Although, MLB’s situation is ironically analogous to the nation as a whole: poor upper leadership, little to no planning while rushing to reopen, focusing on finances instead of people, no accountability, etc., etc….
Yes. They knowingly took the field after being informed about the positive test results of their teammates, who they are exposed to on a daily basis. Even if they tested negative prior to knowing, the exposure itself should have been enough to force them all into quarantine until they all tested negative after the incubation period. What the Marlins did was criminal.
Did the Marlins take the field this weekend knowingly they had some positive cases?
Yes. They decided to play anyway. I think the Phillies were informed and also decided to play.
Wauw…. just wauw!
That pretty much describes our nation’s problem in dealing with coronavirus. Many people think they are indestructible or tie the health concerns to politics, At a grocery store checkout line a couple of weeks ago, the 30-ish guy behind me was wearing an American flag bandana but no mask. I said to him, “Where’s your mask?”
“I guess I forgot it.”
“You forgot it? There’s a sign at the door that says all shoppers must wear a mask.”
“So? What are you afraid of…that the disease will fly through the air and make you sick?”
Being in my 60s, I would be more susceptible to getting sick than him. But I decided not to debate him. If the store isn’t doing anything to enforce the rules, what are shoppers supposed to do?
Wait.
Now we have to wear a bandanna *and* a mask!? At the same time!?
Lord.
Give you people an inch and you take a mile.
And where did you get that information? As of Sunday morning, their were 4 positive tests on the Marlins. The Marlins decided they wanted to play. The Phillies knew the Marlins had 4 positive results, 1 from Friday (Alfaro), and 3 on Sunday, including the starting pitcher Urias. NO MARLIN THAT PLAYED WAS POSITIVE. All three stayed at the team hotel. The rest of the positive results came on Monday.
Now, in hindsight, it would have been smart of the Phillies to push to postpone the game. It would have been even smarter of the MLBPA and/or MLB to have postponed the game once they had 3 positive results come back on the same day.
There needs to be a procedure for how many tests that come back positive at the same time does it take to cancel games. To me, 3 is actually a good number, since road teams travel with a 3 man taxi squad. Once 3 come back at the same time, you better believe that more will follow.
As far as the Nationals go, I understand their hesitation about making the trip. They did in essence sign up to play given the circumstances. I think it would be hard to put pressure on MLB to cancel the games unless the Marlins can’t field a team or the city of Miami or Florida itself says no. Players have/had the chance to opt out. They probably can’t pick and choose where and who they want to play.
I for one, would have been all for canceling the season. I am also in favor of canceling the season in the middle of the season as well. However, there are currently 29 other teams that are currently not experiencing an outbreak, and can play games. So, until the problem gets bigger, with no viable solutions, they need to play on, since they started in the first place.
Thank you
You are right. The country has handled this situation poorly. The problem is the people of the United States. All of us. We are the ones that have made all of the mistakes. We are the ones causing businesses to close again. We are the ones who have caused restrictions to be tightened. We will be the ones who cause sports to shutdown. People. Everybody. Until we all are on board with whatever methods keep people from getting infected and aiding in the spread of the virus, we will continue to suffer with it, and a percentage of people will die. Baseball is no different than any restaurant that is open, or any other business or gathering of people. The virus will continue to win as long as “We the People” allow it to.
Poor central direction starting with a lower case t.
You do understand that the entire team still came in contact with multiple people who tested positive right? Even if they tested negative, the fact that they were exposed is enough to call off the game until the whole team is evaluated. Just because they tested negative on Sunday doesn’t mean they don’t have it.
SURPRISE- I just read Rojas tested positive. So all your pints are invalid.
So all your pints are invalid.
The only invalid pints are empty pints.
I don’t know if you are talking to me about my points….but I am in total agreement that they should not have played on Sunday. I believe that was one of my points…
Not quite correct. The 4 players that tested positive were forced to quarantine and did not play and stayed at the hotel. The Marlins chose to play without those 4. Everyone else tested negative. The Phillies were informed of the 4 positive tests 90 minutes before the game. Some players had no idea at all according to recent interviews. I think one positive case for a guy who played should be enough to postpone a series.
Yes, punishment last place in their division
yeah now this is a problem
Smart on the Nats’ part. The Phillies will be the next team headed to Miami. Will they do this as well?
Hello Wichita Marlins
Wind Surge!
So is that 3 more Ws for the Marlins?
Just one.
Division-leading Marlins??? Hey, short season, maybe they go wire-to-wire 🙂
Jeter and Mattingly were hoping to see positive growth heading into the season. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.
Curly W’s
so if this were to kill the season today – the Dodgers would end the season .500 and betts would mark the year batting .150
After one season, a terrible signing!
Good for the Nationals.
Why MLB hasn’t shut the Marlins down for at least a couple weeks is beyond me. I realize that there are a lot of other things to decide but start with the obvious and move forward from there.
Good. That’s smart.
The Nationals have a lot of guys who are married and have kids. They are the oldest average team in baseball so I’d expect them to be generally the most pragmatic.
I am wondering how they voted. Actual straw poll? Short stick method? Piece of paper in a hat? Player-created Surveymonkey poll?
Heads down, thumbs up. Or Heads Up, Seven Up, depending on your region.
Well, @rct… you can bag an Osceola turkey in Florida in August. Which is cool.
And, turkey hunters were social distancing long before it was cool.
MLB should step in and relocate the games to either South Carolina or Georgia.
Have players tested before the game by mlb officials.
Ha…Perfect places to move to…
Georgia isn’t doing too well right now, either. Move everyone to your namesake: Wyoming. Then just keep them all in a bubble. Traveling like they’re doing right now is insane.
There is a contact tracing expert for each team. Lets find out what happened. Make it public.
The commissioner said they had an idea, but they didn’t want to share it yet. Let everyone know what led to this outbreak, then players can make informed decisions.
Wouldn’t their actual option be to opt out of the season?
Watch for the Braves to have more cases (Marlins played there last Tues and Wed), then the Phils later this week. Nats not going to Miami, wow statement.
I believe the outcome of the Marlins at Orioles decision to play or not, will be the final nail.
Yep, the 2020 season comes down to Marlins versus Orioles. Who predicted that?
Why anyone would want to travel to Florida right now for any reason is beyond me. One of the worst places on earth as far as the virus spreading.
Insane that MLB and Manfred didn’t do a bubble-type situation like the NBA and NHL. I have a feeling the NFL is going to have to push for a bubble thing, too.
I’m sure that’s what you believe. Florida is a big place. I have relatives there, they are careful and safe.
Social Distance, wear a mask, use hand sanitizer. The problem is people don’t do that. The American spirit is a great thing… but during times of pandemics, a horrible thing.
@Halo11Fan:
I agree fully with your second paragraph, but I’m not sure what you mean by this:
‘I’m sure that’s what you believe. Florida is a big place. I have relatives there, they are careful and safe.’
I’m not ‘believing’ anything. I’m *knowing*, for a fact, that Florida is one of the worst places on earth as far as the virus spreading. Over 10,000 new cases a day for the last month (300,000+ since June 28th). 450,000 cases total. No signs of slowing down.
I’m aware of Florida’s size, geographically and population-wise, but 1/70 or so people you encounter have either had it in the last month or currently have it. That’s insane.
Again, I fully agree with you on your second paragraph and I hope your relatives remain safe!
It was considered and also would have ended in disaster (sites were in FL and AZ)
NBA with small teams can localize its venue: they only need quarantined hotels and some courts.
Basketball works in a bubble if they can keep the players out of trouble. Considering it’s a league of studs, keeping them out of the Pulse may prove difficult.
NFL isn’t going to work without bubble-wrapping the players.
I don’t know why, but I expect the NFL to bungle this, but just plow on regardless.
There are no confirmed cases in Antarctica yet. We should all go down there. That whole continent is a bubble!
People are so dumb, they would look at the calendar and not pack their winter clothes.
Just so the players wear their ice cleats, everything will be cool
I just want to see the Astros box score to see who’s been beaned
wonder if its more about playing the team or where they would be playing, because if that’s an issue it could probably be maneuvered around.
You got it. If I’m the Nationals I figure its possible to get MLB to play the game in Washington. Just a straw vote, nothing to lose, so give it a shot!(oops).
There’s no excuse for the team to refuse to travel to Miami. That’s forfeiture plain and simple
Braves still traveled for Tampa. Dodgers still traveled to Houston.
They have every right to opt out of the visit don’t get me wrong, but it comes at the expense of wins.
The players who opt out from playing this season aren’t also getting paid. It’s the same thing. Team doesn’t want to travel there? Games are forfeited and pay is forfeited for those games.
Miami all of a sudden 5-1
Why are teams making this decision? Why isn’t MLB making these calls?
This was merely a poll the Nats held to gauge player attitude toward traveling to Miami. The MLB still makes scheduling decisions
Why dont they electronically play eachother on MLB 2020?
In all honesty, the Nats should be forced to forfeit these games.
Assuming MLB has cleared enough of the Marlins team to play. Refusing to play your next opponent is grounds for forfeit imo
Whether or not you “blame them” for not wanting to go is irrelevant.
Again assuming MLB clears enough players to suit up for the Marlins before then, that’s 100% how this should go
Before anyone points out the city of Miami’s issues itself, The Braves didn’t refuse to travel to Tampa this week. The Dodgers didn’t refuse to travel to Houston.
I feel enough Marlins should be cleared to suit up by Friday so there’s no excuse to be voting like this. They basically voted they don’t want to play period as far as I’m concerned
What about the Marlins next 2 games in Baltimore?
That’s MLB cancelling those games to get a hold on the situation.
Nats are refusing to play 3 days in advance.
If MLB doesn’t feel Miami can field a team safely then by all means cancel/PPD
But Nats aren’t calling the shots. That’s a joke and a forfeiture. There’s no argument otherwise
Doesn’t matter if it’s the city or the team that’s the reason
this is why the rationale for the vote is important. if its about playing in Miami its valid, but if they dont want to play the team then those players should have opted out. it was fairly inevitable that there would be some outbreak within a team, that’s why they have a whole 30 guys in reserve. i figured they knew what they were getting themselves into.
Looks like the Nats want to remain the champs, hell they might even vote to cancel 2021 to keep that.
O/U one week until the season is cancelled
I’ll take the over.
One week, I’ll take the over. O/U one month? Tossup.
The Marlins took this to Philadelphia. Miami is still a Covid hotspot – those kids live on the economy not in a bubble. The whole team – including the 2nd 30 players – has been exposed (before Philly).
Still, the Phils lose 2 of 3 at home to a sick team. How bad is the NL East, the Baves are starting a22-yo rookie catcher and a very young – and good – 3Bman. Nats are living off last year, Mets are always good for a laugh.
Major League Baseball is at risk of becoming a joke, and not a funny joke.
i wouldnt extrapolate the NL East’s issues out to the rest of baseball?
LA/San Diego/Phoenix is Covid-land, too.
Just curious why there seems to be so much personal opinion amongst the writers when an article has Covid connotations.
“Traveling to and from Miami is its own problem, given the local covid outbreak there. And taking the field against the Marlins is a concern regardless of the location, as the team has now registered 15 positive tests among active-roster players.”
Assumed I will get the ban hammer shortly!
Finally ,since 2003, being a Marlin has its positives..
#FloridaMan – or Florida Manager?
It seems they wont let you say the president’s name here without being flagged or waiting for ” moderator ok” i wonder if i used the clinton slogun and it goes thru ” love …. hate”…see it went thru without the name…..and you want me to pay for this site to boot….either no comments or all comments regardless of political parties as long as no cursing or downgrading another person here
I had the covid19 test..its not even close to pleasurable..how long before a player is tired of this thing going up his nose into his skull every day before he says enough’s enough, its not worth it?
For the wages they get paid, I would happily take the stock up the nose daily!
While it’s not mandatory, people are ‘encouraged’ to quarantine for two weeks after returning from many states, including Florida. There is a reason!!!
Before this is over, there will be armed troops at the Florida state line turning people around and anti-aircraft batteries for any aircraft that might try to sneak through.