May 27, 2021
When the Cubs’ 2021 schedule came out, I circled May 17-20. That otherwise unremarkable four-game series with the Nationals would mark the return of 2016 World Series heroes Jon Lester and Kyle Schwarber to Wrigley Field. I knew they would receive an epic welcome from fans and I felt like I needed to be part of it.
The Cubs are pretty far removed from the juggernaut that won 103 games on the way to the team’s first championship in 108 years. While a relatively weak division means it’s certainly possible they could go on a run that would keep Jed Hoyer’s front office from being sellers at the deadline, it is far from guaranteed. Our playoff odds give the Cubs a 35.1% chance of making the postseason. It has left me looking for those moments of joy that fall short of the ultimate goal of hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy at the end of the season but are still meaningful.
Advertisement: Service time is the amount of time that a player has been on an active MLB roster or the injured list. A player becomes a free agent at the end of the season where they reach six years of service time. One year of service time, the maximum amount a player can gain in one season, is 172 days. A single baseball season lasts 187 days. Simply, a player must be on a Major League roster or injured list in all but 15 days of a typical season to be able to accumulate one year of service time. This is where the manipulation can happen.
PHOENIX â The words were light, yet poignant.
âIf we wouldâve had an injury problem or a COVID outbreak, you mightâve seen my big tummy out there in left field.â
Thatâs what former Seattle Mariners President Kevin Mather said during a video call with a local rotary club on Feb. 5, adding that there was no way any of the teamâs top prospects could have made the Major League roster last September out of reluctance to start their service time clocks.
These words from Mather, along with a handful of other statements regarding the Mariners in the same meeting, ultimately led to his resignation on February 22 after the video from the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club surfaced. They also mark Major League Baseballâs latest instance of service time manipulation, a practice that aims to prolong the amount of time that teams retain club control of top prospects while paying them the minimum allowed by the league.
Service time manipulation: Why MLB teams wait to call up prospects azpbs.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from azpbs.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
What’s on TV?
There were a handful of Dutch Eredivisie matches and a DBU Pokalen (Denmark) match that kicked off over an hour ago, all on ESPN+, if you want to catch the end or a replay.
9:30 AM - Antwerp v. Club Brugge - Belgian First Division - ESPN+
9:30 AM - AIK v. Malmo FF - Allsvenskan - ESPN+
10:00 AM - Aston Villa v. Everton - Premier League - NBCSN
11:45 AM - Crotone v. Hellas Verona - Serie A - ESPN+
11:45 AM - RB Leipzig v. Borussia Dortmund - DFB Pokal - ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
12:15 PM - Manchester United v. Liverpool - Premier League - NBCSN