Our Noticias, 6/10/20: 89-game proposal; MLB Draft Day 1 schedule; Better Halves Auction

More proposals, minimal progress

As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Major League Baseball Players’ Association made a last-ditch attempt to find common ground with the league on the structure of the 2020 season in time for Wednesday’s MLB Draft. They continue to insist on receiving full pro-rated shares of their salaries, but the 89-game proposal represented a more viable plan than the previously proposed 114 games (MLB owners asked for 76 games on Monday).

Those games would be squeezed into a three-month window, Jul. 10 to Oct. 11, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The MLBPA made a concession by consenting to an expanded playoff format in 2020 and 2021. Also, players opting not to participate this year due to COVID-19 concerns would only receive salary and service time if they personally have underlying health issues that make them “high risk.” According to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report, post-World Series events like an All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are on the table to maximize revenue.

Alas, Jon Heyman is as plugged in to the MLB ownership perspective as anybody, and he hears that this didn’t accomplish anything:

Exasperating. The only way this will get resolved is if commissioner Rob Manfred exercises his authority to implement a short-season structure himself. The question is how much more terrible PR Manfred lets his product take and whether he has already waited too long to make a “legitimate” season possible.

Marlins draft HQ

Onto a less stressful topic...the amateur draft! Its first round begins Wednesday night and we’ll cover all Marlins-related aspects of it here.

Some key times to keep in mind:

• 3:05 p.m. ET—Fish Stripes thread article publishes with late-breaking rumors and Fish Picks prop bets
• 6:30 p.m. ET—#305OnTheRise pre-draft show streams on the Marlins YouTube channel, featuring interviews with Miami executives and former first-round picks
• 7:00 p.m. ET—Draft broadcasts begin on MLB Network and ESPN
• 7:36 p.m. ET—My best guess for when the No. 3 overall pick will be announced.
• 7:40 p.m. ET—Fish Stripes reaction article publishes with player’s scouting report, highlights and biographical details

Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy is the most likely choice. There’s also a possibility that versatile Vanderbilt hitter Austin Martin falls to No. 3. Any other pick besides one of them would qualify as a shocker.

Better Halves Auction

Every June—roughly coinciding with Father’s Day—the Marlins organize a Better Halves Auction to benefit charitable causes and humanize the players. This year’s edition is already underway. There are personalized baskets from the following major leaguers stuffed with autographed memorabilia, snacks and other symbolic items: Sandy Alcantara, Jon Berti, Adam Conley, Robert Dugger, Brandon Kintzler, Pablo López, Miguel Rojas, Sterling Sharp, Caleb Smith and Jordan Yamamoto. Full details in the gallery below:

Grid View

• Sandy Alcantara
• Jon Berti
• Adam Conley
• Robert Dugger
• Brandon Kintzler
• Pablo López
• Miguel Rojas
• Sterling Sharp
• Caleb Smith
• Jordan Yamamoto

As of early Wednesday morning, the López basket is the only one with multiple bids. The auction closes Sunday at 7 p.m.

Walk-off links

• Continuing their “No-Hitter Week” in chronological order, FOX Sports Florida will air replays of the A.J. Burnett (2001), Aníbal Sánchez (2006), Henderson Alvarez (2013) and Edinson Vólquez (2017) games on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively.
• Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th career home run at Dolphin Stadium 12 years ago. Former Marlins president David Samson regrets that he wasn’t able to get the ball back to Griffey.
• MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro puts Robb Nen atop his all-time best Marlins relievers rankings, followed by Steve Cishek and Antonio Alfonseca.
• The A to Z series on Marlin Maniac covers the letter G.
• Big-money international signee José Salas is growing up fast (h/t Fish On The Farm).