Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is still deciding if he will take part in the 2020 MLB season amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

In a first-person article for the Associated Press, Zimmerman wrote that he's "still deciding whether to play" because of concerns for himself and his family:

"I have a 3-week-old baby. My mother has multiple sclerosis and is super high-risk; if I end up playing, I can pretty much throw out the idea of seeing her until weeks after the season is over.

"There's a lot of factors that I and others have to consider. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer; it's everybody's individual choice.

"At the end of the day, does a player feel comfortable going to the field every day and—in my case, more importantly—feel comfortable coming home every day and feel like they're not putting anyone else in danger?"

Zimmerman did note he doesn't think "we all need to hide in our houses until a vaccine is found," but "we just need to do things in a sensible, smart way."

Another concern highlighted by Zimmerman was the potential amount of travel involved with a 60-game schedule, which he notes would presumably feature 30 road games for every team. 

"I don't know how long the trips are going to be, but it's a significant amount of travel and staying in hotels and going places that are outside of where we've been allowed to go the last few months," he wrote.

MLB and the MLB Players Association announced on June 24 a resolution to their ongoing issues and said "players are reporting to camp."

Spring training is scheduled to begin on July 1, with the regular season on track to begin on either July 23 or 24. 

Zimmerman has spent his entire career with the Nationals since being drafted No. 4 overall by the organization in 2005.

Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer has been one of the most outspoken members of the MLB Players Association as the union looks to reach a deal with the league on resuming the season amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

As MLB owners demand players reduce their wages, Scherzer continues to push back. 

In a Thursday tweet, the 2019 World Series champion, who serves on the union's executive subcommittee and studied business finance at the University of Missouri, sent another shot at owners: 

The owners have recently shared their side of the negotiations. Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts told ESPN's Jesse Rogers the amount of money owners are losing is "biblical," while St. Louis Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. told local 590 radio, "The industry isn't very profitable, to be quite honest."

Those statements are at odds with the record revenue of $10.7 billion the league made in 2019, according to Forbes. 

Scherzer called for the owners to open their books in late May:

MLB owners continue to decline that request. 

The Washington Nationals will pay their minor league players $400 per week through the month of June after previously saying they would cut the stipend to $300 per week.

"Upon further internal discussion, you will receive your full stipend of $400 per week through the month of June. We will consider future payments on a month to month basis. Thank you!" a text message sent from the Nationals to minor league players read, per the Associated Press (via ESPN).

The Nationals' decision came a day after reliever Sean Doolittle said the team's major league players were planning to cover the $100-per-week reduction in pay. 

"All of us were minor leaguers at one point in our careers and we know how important the weekly stipends are for them and their families during these uncertain times," Doolittle wrote in a tweet. "Minor leaguers are an essential part of our organization and they are bearing the heaviest burden of this situation as their season is likely to be cancelled. We recognize that and want to stand with them in support."

Major League Baseball's policy requiring teams pay their minor league players $400 per week ended May 31. 

With the minor league season expected to be canceled, teams have been slashing their budgets by releasing players or outright stopping payments. The Oakland Athletics informed minor leaguers they would no longer be paid after May 31.

The Nationals released more than 30 minor leaguers, per Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. 

The Washington Nationals cut 30 players from their minor league system while reducing weekly pay for remaining players to $300, according to The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli on Sunday.

Two-time All-Star relief pitcher Sean Doolittle announced Sunday night that he and other members of the reigning World Series champion Nats are "committing funds to make whole the lost wages from their weekly stipends":

"I really feel for the guys that were let go," one Nationals minor leaguer told Ghiroli. "Most of us live paycheck to paycheck at best, and in this situation, I'm not sure there is much they can do. For us lucky ones still getting help, it's bittersweet. I wish the owners really weighed how much that $100 they cut us back is saving them versus how much it helps put food on the table for us and our families."

Clubs across Major League Baseball have had to address their respective farm systems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the 2020 MLB season from beginning March 26 along with Minor League Baseball's April 9 start.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are paying their minor leaguers $400 weekly, but Dodgers starting pitcher David Price has committed $1,000 to players no longer on the 40-man roster:

Per Ghiroli, Washington is the only club at this point to reduce salaries to $300 per week.

The Washington Nationals released 30 minor league players and committed $300 per week to the remaining rostered players, according to The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli on Sunday.

"I really feel for the guys that were let go," one Nationals minor leaguer told Ghiroli. "Most of us live paycheck to paycheck at best, and in this situation, I'm not sure there is much they can do. For us lucky ones still getting help, it's bittersweet. I wish the owners really weighed how much that $100 they cut us back is saving them versus how much it helps put food on the table for us and our families."

Ghiroli added that the Nats "are the only known team to cut down to $300 [per week] for all of its minor leaguers," including Triple-A players.

Several MLB clubs have announced updates for paying their respective minor leaguers over the weekend, as relayed by ESPN's Jeff Passan:

However, bad news has emerged in the minor leagues from teams other than Washington:

Former New York Mets second-round pick Andrew Church slammed the organization after his release last week:

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher David Price will reportedly pay $1,000 to every minor leaguer in the organization's farm system.

The 2020 Minor League Baseball season was scheduled to have its Opening Day for full-season leagues April 9.

Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer expressed his frustration with Major League Baseball's latest economic proposal as the league and its players attempt to reach an agreement to hold a shortened 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players there's no reason to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions. We have previously negotiated a pay cut in the version of prorated salaries, and there's no justification to accept a 2nd pay cut based upon the current information the union has received."

He also said other players have expressed a similar sentiment.

Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports noted Scherzer is part of the Players Association executive council and is "very much involved in these talks."

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported players were "pretty galvanized" in a call Wednesday and saw the league's proposal as "disappointing" and "disrespectful." According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the players intend on countering the proposal by the end of the week and "do not plan to make any salary concessions."

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the players would insist on their full, prorated salaries over the course of a season longer than 82 games.

As Scherzer noted, the players already agreed to a salary cut in a shortened season by agreeing to prorated salaries in March. However, the league then suggested the two sides split any revenue generated this year evenly in a 50-50 split, which Passan noted was a "non-starter" for the players.

Since the players would not accept that, the league countered with a new offer that would pay players a percentage of their prorated salaries on a sliding scale, per Heyman.

That sliding scale meant the highest-paid players would see significantly larger cuts in their salaries, as Passan illustrated:

MLB may have been attempting to divide the union with a proposal calling for higher-paid players to accept such steep cuts while the lowest-paid ones were still on track to make most of what they would have with prorated salaries.

That makes Scherzer's suggestion of unity notable, especially coming from a star pitcher who was set to make nearly $28.8 million in base salary alone in 2020.

While MLB will surely make less money than it normally would have with so many adjustments necessary amid a worldwide pandemic, the back-and-forth comes at a time when the vast majority of the teams are in solid financial position.

In April, Forbes reported the average value of each team was nearly four times what it was a decade ago, with every one but the Miami Marlins worth more than $1 billion.

The Washington Nationals celebrated their 2019 World Series by revealing the rings they'll hand out to players and team personnel.

The 2020 MLB season remains on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prevented the Nationals from staging a traditional ring ceremony. The franchise announced Saturday the players are waiting until games resume to collect their World Series keepsakes:

The Nats showed off the ring, which includes a number of references to Washington's postseason run. The features include an image of a shark cut into the inner portion of the ring, a nod to how Gerardo Parra's walk-up song, "Baby Shark," became a rallying cry for players and fans.

Washington won its first title after defeating the Houston Astros in seven games in the Fall Classic. Stephen Strasburg was named World Series MVP after allowing four earned runs in 14.1 innings across two starts.

It remains unclear when the Nationals will be able to properly commemorate their triumph. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported May 11 that team owners approved a plan that would see the season start in early July, but the MLB Players Association needs to sign off on the proposal as well before action begins on the field.

The Washington Nationals have decided to wait until the entire team is reunited to receive its 2019 World Series rings, scuttling plans for a virtual ceremony the club had been planning.

When presented with the idea for the ceremony, Nationals players collectively decided they would rather postpone the event until everyone could celebrate together. The team announced the decision Saturday, only hours before the event was set to take place. 

Originally, the team was set to receive its rings on the field at Nationals Park ahead of the second game of the season. When the coronavirus pandemic put baseball on hold, the team looked for an innovative alternative, settling on the virtual ceremony. 

Per the Nats' statement: 

"We talked to a number of our team leaders who liked the idea. We proceeded with plans to create a virtual experience that would bring players and fans together to share in the unveiling of our World Series ring design for the first time. Just like everyone else, our plans were at the mercy of the pandemic. As our fans know, May 24 is a special day in our club’s history and we worked feverishly -- navigating plant closures and government shutdowns -- to pull together a world-class show.

"When team leaders discussed the plan this week with the players, the players collectively decided they would prefer to receive their rings when the team could be physically reunited. We support that decision."

The broadcast will still take place at 7:00 p.m. ET on the team's YouTube channel, but instead of presenting players with the rings, the Nats will debut a documentary about the team's run to its first World Series title in franchise history alongside an unveiling of the ring design. 

Players Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick and Max Scherzer will join in live to give their reactions. 

There will also be a fundraiser for the team's foundation, Nats4Good.

One of the most memorable moments for any championship run in sports is celebrating the achievement with a ring ceremony the following season in front of the home fans.

Given the uncertainty of the 2020 Major League Baseball season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Series champion Washington Nationals are reportedly doing what they can Sunday.

According to Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, the Nationals will air a virtual ring ceremony and the Improbable documentary Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on MASN and the team's official website. The virtual ceremony will feature players and coaches over a Zoom recording, who are expected to receive their rings through the mail in the coming days.

The 2019 Nationals got off to a 19-31 start, but they battled back to make the National League Wild Card Game, where they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers. They then ousted the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Divisional Series despite facing elimination in the final two games after falling behind 2-1.

From there, they swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series and then won the final two contests of a thrilling seven-game World Series against the Houston Astros to claim the crown.

Washington's victory against Houston became even more notable this offseason when the Astros' recent sign-stealing scandal became public knowledge and dominated headlines.

Bryce Harper's hopes of returning to the Washington Nationals last offseason quickly dissolved when he received the team's contract offer. 

"I thought we had a really good meeting," Harper said of a discussion he had with Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner, per Barstool Sports' Starting 9 podcast (via Scott Gleeson of USA Today). "I walked out of there and said, 'Scott [Boras], get it done.' I got back an offer and it hurt. It just hurt. So we kind of just turned the page on to the new year."

According to the Washington Post's Dave Sheinin and Chelsea Janes, the Nationals offered Harper $300 million over 10 years. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $330 million over 13 years.

At the time, it was the biggest contract in MLB history. Mike Trout has since surpassed Harper upon signing a 12-year, $426.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels.

Sheinin and Janes reported contrasts between the Nationals' and Phillies' offers went beyond the $30 million more he got from Philadelphia:

"However, according to multiple people in the industry, the Nationals' offer also contained deferrals of up to $100 million, to be paid out over decades — so much deferred money that Major League Baseball raised concerns. Such deferred payments would have significantly reduced its present-day value. Harper's Phillies contract, by comparison, contains no deferrals."

Washington used the tactic with Max Scherzer's seven-year, $210 million contract. Although Scherzer becomes a free agent when he's 37, the Nats will continue paying him until he turns 44 because part of his money is deferred.

Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein wrote Stephen Strasburg's seven-year, $245 million extension includes deferrals as well. Apstein also noted the value of the Nationals' final offer for Harper would've equated to $184 million now based on how much was to be paid out later.

Some might scoff at Harper's disappointment given how much money he stood to earn from Washington. Upon breaking down the particulars, though, it's not hard to see why he felt upset that that was the best the team could do.