Major League Baseball calling off it’s winter meetings is a cause for concern after losing over $3 billion in revenue will MLB open the season and stand to lose more revenue again for 2021? (file photo from CBS Sports)

By Amaury Pi-González

2020 Baseball season is over; the Los Angeles Dodgers were crowned World Series Champion during an unprecedented 60-game season and Playoffs. However, the pain inflicted by this 2020 in baseball is not over yet.

The league announced the cancellation of both the owners meetings in November and winter meetings in December. The agendas will be conducted virtually as needed, by the now very well-known Zoom meeting. Owners meeting: Owners, presidents, general managers and managers from the 30 teams talk about economics, on-field issues as well as trades and free agents.

Winters meeting: All Major League baseball teams and their minor league affiliates convene each December to discuss business and conduct the off-season trades and all transactions.

According to The Wall Street Journal the 30 teams lost an estimated of $3 billion. The biggest blow, no fans in the stands, no ticket sales no parking revenues, no food drink or souvenirs sold. And we must not forget that some businesses in the vicinity of many parks also suffered, even if they were open.

No surprise that most MLB teams have reduced their staffs, some more than others, its early October MLB released schedules for all 30 teams for the 2021 season, however, the Office of the Commissioner Rob Manfred has still two biggest fears for next season which are, (1)-Are we going to have a vaccine, and (2) – Are we past the Pandemic. If both answers are yes, things could begin to return with a sense of “normalcy” of some form.

Even if 2021 is played with a 162 game schedule, like for example (2019 when nobody could predict this Pandemic) and everything went ‘honky dory’ there is another problem in the horizon. After the conclusion of the 2021 season there is bitter labor-management negotiations looming. The Basic Agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association expires.

Baseball fans do not sweat it. The greatest Baseball philosopher Yogi Berra once said: “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future”.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead Spanish radio announcer for Oakland A’s baseball on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com