Owners contend that ommissioner Rob Manfred can seek to unilaterally impose a shortened season if the union won’t budge from its prorated salary demands, and it appears that’s where they’re leaning, per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. Either a 48- to 54-game season with fully prorated salaries or an 82-game season at less than prorated salaries are under consideration.
Source: MLB Rejects MLBPA Proposal; No Counter-Offer Planned – MLB Trade Rumors
A 54 game season is essentially 2 months of baseball. The below teams highlighted in red and blue would be playoff eligible at the end of 2 months of play last season.
MLB 20190531
| Tm | W | L | BAT | PITCH | UR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | 38 | 18 | 64.1 | 35.7 | 5.4 | |
| LAN | 39 | 19 | 48.0 | 42.7 | -4.6 | |
| NYA | 37 | 19 | 28.6 | 41.7 | 2.4 | |
| HOU | 38 | 20 | 32.5 | 53.7 | 8.4 | |
| TBA | 35 | 20 | -8.5 | 88.7 | 4.4 | |
| PHI | 33 | 24 | 17.0 | 9.7 | 3.4 | |
| CHN | 31 | 24 | 21.0 | 31.7 | -3.6 | |
| MIL | 32 | 26 | 24.5 | -10.3 | 3.4 | |
| SDN | 30 | 27 | -38.5 | 23.7 | 1.4 | |
| ATL | 30 | 27 | 7.6 | 0.7 | -7.6 | |
| COL | 29 | 27 | 40.5 | -42.3 | 9.4 | |
| OAK | 30 | 28 | 17.6 | 3.7 | 8.4 | |
| TEX | 28 | 27 | 44.1 | -25.3 | -0.6 | |
| BOS | 29 | 28 | 33.5 | -4.3 | -2.6 | |
| SLN | 28 | 28 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 2.4 | |
| PIT | 28 | 28 | -31.9 | -24.3 | -5.6 | |
| NYN | 28 | 29 | -1.8 | -10.3 | -0.6 | |
| CLE | 28 | 29 | -43.4 | 25.7 | -4.6 | |
| CHA | 28 | 29 | -19.5 | -21.3 | -1.6 | |
| ARI | 28 | 30 | 32.5 | -0.3 | 5.4 | |
| CIN | 27 | 30 | -7.5 | 40.7 | 10.4 | |
| ANA | 27 | 30 | 12.0 | -31.3 | 11.4 | |
| WAS | 24 | 33 | 1.0 | -26.3 | -1.6 | |
| SEA | 25 | 35 | 38.5 | -59.3 | -34.6 | |
| DET | 22 | 33 | -73.5 | -11.3 | -5.6 | |
| SFN | 22 | 34 | -56.0 | -18.3 | -11.6 | |
| TOR | 21 | 36 | -48.4 | -5.3 | -4.6 | |
| MIA | 19 | 36 | -92.0 | 2.7 | 7.4 | |
| KCA | 19 | 38 | -11.5 | -41.3 | 9.4 | |
| BAL | 18 | 39 | -35.4 | -71.3 | -4.6 |
Good news for Cubs, bad news the Nationals and Cardinals. With so few games the field will be tight which may result in many 3 way or more ties. A baseball season is a 6 month marathon that consumes summer with a fall finale. A two month season is like running 9 miles and calling that a marathon. Washington had a real team WAA of -9 at the end of two months of play which wasn’t good. They had plenty of time to recover adding +6 WAA each of the next 4 months; gaining momentum that propelled them through playoff season. Gaining +6 for a full 6 months puts a team at 99 wins at the end of a season.
After only 54 games this model may be some use in handicapping playoffs but only as a guide.