By Mike Steffanos March 8, 2021
The original plan for Minor League Baseball this season called for Triple-A teams to begin playing in early April, while the lower level affiliates would wait until May to get their seasons underway. The reasoning behind this was that COVID-19 protocols limited spring training to Major Leaguers and Triple-A ballplayers. The other minor leaguers wouldn't even report for their spring training until those players departed at the beginning of April.
The possibility was left open that the Triple-A season would be delayed, and MLB teams would begin their campaign utilizing the alternate sites made famous last season. Last week MLB notified the ballclubs that this would indeed be the case. The Triple-A season has been pushed back a month to May 4, the same date that the lower classifications were slated to get their seasons underway. The alternate sites will be operating for at least the first month of the season. The question will be how MLB clubs balance their need to have potential replacement players ready with the need to ensure their prospects receive proper development.
It will be fascinating to watch how the Mets handle their alternate site for the first month. Minor League spring training will be underway, so there can be little doubt that all of their prospects will wind up in camp with their minor league clubs. Still, they might opt to allow some prospects time at the alternate site to do some advanced work if they feel that would benefit them. I'm curious how the Mets will handle things. If I had to guess, I would think the prospects already in Port St. Lonesome for the Major League camp will be left there, but that would be a long time in camp for players who have been there since the end of February.
Another intriguing question for me would be how that taxi squad mentioned in the article in The Athletic will be used as the season goes on:
In 2020, teams were allowed to have a three-player "taxi squad" to accompany the MLB team on the road in case of injury or a player entering COVID-19 protocol. In 2021, the taxi squad will be expanded to five players — one of which must be a catcher.
Taxi squad players are not active on the MLB 26-man roster; they are allowed to participate in team workouts but cannot be in uniform or in the dugout during games. (The taxi squad catcher can serve as a bullpen catcher during road games, however.) These players do not accrue major-league service time but will receive a $110 per diem.
Guidance under an updated version of the MLB 2021 operations manual indicates that "(u)pon the conclusion of each road trip, players on the Taxi Squad will return to the Alternate Training Site (except that one catcher may remain on the Taxi Squad to serve as a bullpen catcher for home games)." In 2020, the taxi squad catcher had to return to the alternate site once the MLB team returned from a road series.
I'm interested in observing how the taxi squad is handled once the minor league season actually begins. Undoubtedly the taxi squad would be populated by veteran players not on the 26-man roster rather than young prospects. Still, you wonder how long these guys would be able to stay game-ready with only team workouts and batting practice to keep them sharp. At some point, you would think even veteran players would benefit from actual ABs in Triple-A games.
Once all the ballplayers, coaches, and support personnel were vaccinated, I would seriously question the utility of these taxi squads and alternate sites. I wonder if they remain for the entire season or if, at some point, clubs feel covid is no longer enough of an ongoing threat to justify the work and expense of maintaining them.
For April, at least, there will be an alternate site. What will eventually become the Mets Syracuse club will comprise most, if not all, of the players there. There are plans in place to allow for the possibility of competition for these ballplayers beyond workouts and intrasquad games:
The plan for alternate sites in May and beyond is yet to be determined. In April, clubs will be allowed to set up what amount to Triple-A exhibition games against other alternate sites at their discretion. However, clubs will have to submit proposals for exhibition games to the league office for approval.
The Mets might not have a ton of true prospects at the Triple-A level this season, but there are some. I would expect trade acquisitions Jordan Yamamoto, and Joey Lucchesi could wind up there if they don't make the big league club out of camp. Khalil Lee, the outfield prospect who came over in the three-way trade with the Red Sox and the Royals, will undoubtedly be assigned there.
There are many players competing for bullpen spots who could conceivably start the year with Syracuse. Jacob Barnes and Franklyn Kilome have no remaining options, so they would have to make it through waivers. Current 40-man roster members Thomas Szapucki, Robert Gsellman, Sam McWilliams, Yennsy Diaz, Sean Reid-Foley, Drew Smith, Stephen Tarpley, and Daniel Zamora could all wind up there if they don't stick with the Mets.
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