Morning Mound Visit: MLB planning to allow fans in 2021 without proof of vaccination

Liz Roscher | Yahoo! Sports.: After allowing fans at the NLCS and World Series, MLB anticipates allowing fans at spring training and regular season games. MLB will not, however, require proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to gain entry.

Ben Clemens | FanGraphs: The stolen base is far less common than it used to be, and the explanation for that is quite simple. Advancing a base is merely good while making an out (and removing a baserunner) is extremely bad. Is there a hidden value in steals that we’ve been ignoring in our calculations?

Matt Collins | Over the Monster: The Red Sox are apparently actively shopping Andrew Benintendi. At first glance, that conflicts with the rumor that the team is preparing for a series of moves prior to spring training that would let Boston compete in 2021. However, the Red Sox could use Benintendi to acquire pitching depth and use free agency to address their holes in left field.