Marty’s musings: deals, injuries, and postponements

Welcome to ‘Marty’s Musings’, my weekly column of numbers summarizing the happenings in the baseball world. I am your guide for taking an analytic look at the news and notes throughout the game, and highlighting this week’s key pitching matchups.

This week bad news for the Mets, MLB contingency-plans a canceled 2020 season, and the 2021 WBC suddenly has some international competition.

News & Notes

1 - Year of service time that 2020 will count for regardless of how many games, if any games, are eventually played. The agreement was welcome news for MLB players, but really hurt draftees and prospects. The June draft will be shortened from 40 rounds to five, and the 2021 draft may be shortened to 20 rounds, with bonuses being capped pretty significantly.

12-15 - Month absence for Mets’ flamethrower Noah Syndergaard, who last week underwent Tommy John Surgery. Syndergaard has previously flirted with forearm and elbow injuries, but it seems his UCL has finally bought the farm.

2021 - The new date of the Tokyo summer Olympics, which have been postponed from this summer to next summer. With baseball as a current Olympic sport, it will be interesting to see how this affects the World Baseball Classic, which is slated for next spring.

??? - Days until Opening Day.