As the days and weeks go by, and as our country slowly lifts the “shelter-in-place” order, it’s looking more like there won’t be a Minor League Baseball season, and the Major League season is also in question.

Last Friday, over 200 minor league players were released by their respective teams, leaving everyone to believe the 2020 minor league season is doomed. In the past month, over 400 minor leaguers have been released, according to transactions posted at MiLB.com.

In March, the minor league season was official put on hold and players were sent home from their spring training sites. While the negotiations between MLB teams and the players’ association is still ongoing, it’s become more apparent there won’t be any minor league games this season. About half of the teams have pledged to continue to pay their minor leaguers $400 per week, at least through the end of June.

There are only four teams who have pledged to not release any minor league players, and to continue to pay them through the end of the season; the Twins, Astros, Reds and Royals.

“The minor-league player, the players that you’ll never know about, the players that never get out of rookie ball or High-A, those players have as much impact on the growth of our game as 10-year, 15-year veteran players,” said Royals general manager Dayton Moore. “They have as much opportunity to influence the growth of our game as those individuals that play for a long time because those are the individuals that go back into their communities and teach the game. They work in academies. They’re junior college coaches. They’re college coaches. They’re scouts. They coach in professional baseball. They’re growing the game constantly because they’re so passionate about it.”

The baseball amateur draft will be held June 10, but MLB has shortened the draft from the usual 40 rounds, down to only five. Afterall, if no minor league games are played, there really isn’t going to be anywhere to put these players.

Meanwhile, MLB and the MLBPA have yet to work out a financial agreement to get the season underway.

The players have agreed to play for a prorated amount of their annual salary, and the league has asked for another cut in the form of lower the players percentage of revenue sharing. Scott Boras, an agent who represents dozens of MLB players, sent an email last week to his clients urging them to “not agree to further pay cuts to bail out the owners.”

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer blasted Boras in a Tweet, “I have one thing to say… Scott Boras, rep your clients however you want to, but keep your [sic] personal agenda out of union business.”

In the meantime…

The National Hockey League has reached an agreement with its players to play a 24-team playoff. Although the details are still to be worked out, it appears there will be a Stanley Cup Champion crowned in 2020.

According to a release on NHL.com, the tournament style playoff will begin with a 16-team, eight-series Qualifying Round and a Seeding Round-Robin among the top four teams in each conference to determine seeds for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The NHL paused the regular season March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and canceled the remaining 189 games. The 12 qualifying teams from the Eastern and Western conferences were determined by points percentage as of that date. Seven teams did not qualify, including my Buffalo Sabres for the ninth straight year.

“I want to make clear that the health and safety of our players, coaches, essential support staff and our communities are paramount,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in announcing the Return to Play Plan. “While nothing is without risk, ensuring health and safety has been central to all of our planning so far and will remain so. Let me assure you that the reason we are doing this is because our fans have told us in overwhelming numbers that they want to complete the season if at all possible.

And our players and our teams are clear that they want to play and bring the season to its rightful conclusion.”

The format was determined in meetings of the Return to Play Committee, with the objective to find a way to award the Stanley Cup this season.

Major League Baseball could certainly learn a thing or two from the NHL.