The days are numbered as the 2020 Major League Baseball season nears. The league is set to begin on July 23rd for its shortened 60-game regular season. Here are some newsworthy notes from around the league.
NFL and NBA Stars Join in Mets Bid
Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez have acquired some major talent in their attempt to purchase the New York Mets. This comes after the power couple initially entered a bid for $1.5 billion when the Mets’ Wilpon family was hoping to get closer to $2.5 billion.
The group has more recently submitted a bid of $1.7 billion, compared to a $2 billion bid by hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen. Jeff Wilpon, the Mets current Chief Operation Officer, has stated he favors to sell the team to the Rodriguez-Lopez group if their bid is close to the best bid at the end of the auction.
The talent recruited to join in the attempted acquisition include Hall of Fame football player Brian Urlacher, Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce, and former All-Pro running back DeMarco Murray. The star-studded lineup joins Hall of Fame offensive lineman Joe Thomas, NBA star Bradley Beal, and Mason Plumlee.
The group now is in a wait-and-see position as they wait to hear back from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred regarding the next step in the bidding process. Summit Trail Advisors Co-founder Jim Cantelupe is the organizer of the group.
Hicks Opts Out Citing Health Concerns
Another day, another MLB player has announced his intention to sit out the upcoming season. St. Louis Cardinals flamethrower Jordan Hicks has decided to postpone his return until the 2021 season, citing preexisting health concerns. The Cardinals closer, who has Type-1 diabetes, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and was going to open the season on the injured list.
Hicks, who is the 13th major league baseball player to opt-out of the season, will receive service time and salary since he has a preexisting condition. While not yet arbitration-eligible, Hicks will bring home a prorated salary just a bit more than the league minimum.
Hicks went 14-for-15 in save chances last season before suffering his season-ending arm injury. One of, if not the hardest throwers in professional baseball, Hicks’ fastball averaged 101.6 mph last year.
Giants at Dodgers Lines Posted
As we are inching closer to the start of the baseball season, sportsbooks have added another Opening Day contest to the board. The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the San Francisco Giants on opening night July 23rd in Los Angeles with a slated first pitch for 10 pm EST.
The initial starting pitchers penciled in for the contests are Johnny Cueto versus Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers are a heavy moneyline favorite (-290), while a win for the Giants would return a solid (+240). The run total for the contest is 8.0, with even money on the over and (-120) on the under.
The Dodgers versus Giants matchup will follow the New York Yankees at Washington Nationals to open the 2020 season.
