Bernie on the Scene: A Tough Offseason Begins

There are a number of important factors that will impact our management of fantasy teams for next season.  I want to go over a few things I have heard from very reliable sources:

MLB is recommending that organizations cut their operating budgets by 30 percent or more. That includes player payroll, player development and all departments and offices within an organization. 

Imagine if you had to cut your living expenses by 30 percent just to survive. And some people do have to cut back to that extent in this age of the pandemic. It's drastic. It's life altering.

Baseball teams are making drastic, franchise changing decisions.

What we are seeing so far is the decline of team-controlled contract options and the release of players who likely would be offered a contract, but are marginal players or are too expensive for the team's future.

Kolten Wong, a credible second baseman, was sent packing by the Cardinals. The Indians hoped to save $1M by putting Brad Hand on waivers. He wasn't claimed.  Jon Lester and Carlos Santana are free agents. So is Ryan Braun. There will be more. Many more.

If given the choice between bringing a veteran  player back and going with a young, controllable player making major league minimum, the team will choose the young player. It will happen everywhere. Brace for it.

In the coming weeks I will highlight some of the younger players who will dot the rosters of big-league clubs. These will be players I will consider viable fantasy options.

Spring Training

My very credible sources have advised me that the current plan has spring training beginning in May. Teams would train at their home parks, not in Florida and Arizona. Few, if any spring training games would be played against opposing teams. 

Spring training would end in mid-June. That's when a 100-game season would begin. Players were upset with little preparation time before this past short season. As a result, they are requiring a full six-week spring preparation before any season begins.

Any and all spring training and in-season decisions will require the consent of the Player's Association. Remember, the basic agreement between players and management expires after the 2021 season. Nothing can be done for 2021 without mutual consent.

If spring training and a season are held, it will likely include all the protocols put in place for this short season. Rules for 2021 are still being discussed.

There are those within the baseball community who think a COVID vaccine will not be ready until the end of 2021. They are planning to run a season without a vaccine in place.

New York Mets

With the approval of Steve Cohen as the new owner of the Mets, I think we can brace for a totally rebirth of the franchise. Contrary to what every other team will be doing this offseason, I see Cohen spending money to improve the club. Big money. He wants to make a statement and take over control of the New York market from the Yankees. Look for big-time free agents to sign with the Mets and get their paydays. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio has given his blessing to Cohen from a New York legal standpoint.

The team is now Mr. Cohen's. He will have Sandy Alderson on board to call the shots as the team president of baseball operations.

White Sox Hire Tony La Russa

The moment I heard the White Sox were interested in Tony La Russa as their next manager I immediately thought he would get the job. Why? A personality like La Russa would never let his name be bandied about as a managerial candidate if the job weren't already in the bag. Settled. Done.

La Russa is totally, 100 percent, the idea of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. When Hawk Harrelson was the general manager of the White Sox, he fired manager Tony La Russa. Reinsdorf was furious. He fired Harrelson. Reinsdorf has said firing La Russa was his biggest mistake. Well, he made up for it now. The decision to hire Reinsdorf was his and his alone. I am told general manager Rick Hahn opposed the hiring. It didn't matter. And now Hahn will be clearing every move he makes or doesn't make with Mr. La Russa.

La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager. In his time, he was very solid in the dugout. Can he manage in today's environment? Who knows? For me, La Russa will be under tremendous pressure to prove he "still has it." But make no mistake, La Russa will not be embarrassed if he doesn't bring home a winner. As a friend told me, "La Russa thinks he is above embarrassment." His reputation may be tarnished if he doesn't win, but he's still and always will be a Hall of Famer. 

La Russa is set in his ways. He will have to have coaches around him who know today's game.

As the head honcho of baseball operations with the Diamondbacks, La Russa hired Dave Stewart in Arizona. Together, they set the franchise back for years. But being in the front office is not like being in the dugout. La Russa has been good in the dugout. He'll call every single shot — nobody will tell him how to manage, who to play or what to do.

It won't matter that La Russa is old school. It won't matter that La Russa is old. All that matters is that he wins.

La Russa speaks fluent Spanish. That's critical with the White Sox roster composition. 

It will NOT matter what fans or the media think about La Russa. Reinsdorf does not care about that either. Reinsdorf has created an exciting roster and he wants to win. This is Reinsdorf's final shot. He will hire who he wants and when he wants. I get that. I can't argue with it. But both he and La Russa will live with the consequences.

Fantasy managers have to learn how to handle the "new" La Russa in the dugout. We simply don't know yet how he will manage in a new era of statistical baseball.

Tigers Hire A.J. Hinch

I want to state that the hiring of A.J. Hinch was not a popular move with all baseball fans. Many think he has no business in a dugout following the Astros fiasco.  I disagree.

Hinch paid the price for the cheating scandal. He was out of baseball. He should be able to redeem himself. I happen to think there were other, more influential voices who directed the cheating. But Hinch failed to stop it. There is no excusing that. But he shouldn't be shunned forever.

The Tigers hired Hinch. He is a very, very good baseball manager. He learned a great deal when he was with the Diamondbacks. He took what he learned with him to Houston. He will be a very tough guy for other mangers to outsmart.

Hinch is not only bright, he is articulate. He is well schooled in the nuances and metrics of today's game. His players will hustle. His players will likely be fundamentally sound. And he will deploy his entire roster.

I applaud the hiring of Hinch for the Tigers. They will see positive results from his presence in the dugout.

Other than Hinch, my choice as a manager would be Bruce Bochy. I hope he returns to a dugout soon. He wants back. In my opinion, Bochy is by far the best handler of a pitching staff in or around the modern game.

Follow me on twitter @Bernie Pleskoff and read my baseball articles at forbes.com.

Have a great week. Stay safe and healthy. And don't forget to thank those that make our lives better.