Baseball’s long and ugly money fight may finally be coming to a close.
Sure, said finale isn’t even remotely harmonious. MLB and the players union still hate each other, as both sides chose to walk away from the negotiating table over the weekend after neither could agree on how players will be paid this year.
That said, they’ve now forced commissioner Rob Manfred to mandate a 2020 season which could be in the range of 48-54 games. It’s less than ideal, and with a campaign this short, you can expect many clubs to adjust their strategies to give themselves a competitive advantage in the months ahead.
Don’t be shocked if one of these adjustments is an increased usage of four-man rotations across the league. After all, it’s a strategy which could make sense in a season like this.
Is it also one the Cleveland Indians should embrace?
Casey Drottar is an Cleveland Indians writer for Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook