Red Sox News: Commissioner Rob Manfred guarantees 2020 MLB season

The Red Sox will be playing in 2020 per Rob Manfred

Red Sox Nation as well as baseball fans the world over got the news they were hoping for tonight as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred guaranteed a 2020 season. This may come as a bit of a surprise as the owners and players are entrenched in a labor dispute with neither budging an inch. What neither side seems to realize or remember for that matter is that the Commissioner can force a season.

Earlier this evening ahead of the MLB Draft festivities, Manfred made his declaration, and fans everywhere began to salivate. It’s unclear how long the season would last as time is not on the MLB’s side right now. Both the owners and players have been serving up offers with the opposition just slamming them right back. If push comes to shove and Manfred has to step in, then both sides lose.

“We’re going to play baseball in 2020, 100 percent,” the commissioner said on MLB Network. “If it has to be under the March 26 agreement, if we get to that point in the calendar, so be it. But, one way or the other, we’re playing major-league baseball.”

The current CBA is set to expire very soon and then the already contentious negotiations will hit a boiling point. If you thought the two sides were far apart as it was, just imagine having the whole shebang on the line. “Uncle Manfred,” as former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden affectionately refers to him, may have to step in and settle things.

When the two sides originally agreed on terms back in March it felt like this season was inevitable. However, since then both sides have sniped at the other in attempts to get the upper hand. What neither has realized is that they’re both losing in the court of public opinion.

So, if the owners and players can’t see eye-to-eye on terms for a 2020 campaign, and Manfred has to step in, what does that mean for the Red Sox?

What does 2020 look like for the Red Sox if Rob Manfred steps in?

Well, to be honest, I don’t have a strong answer. If the Commish has to use his executive power and force a season then we may see some players sit out. The players aren’t just arguing for money, but safety more than anything. They want a solid and concrete plan from the league on how not only they but the personnel and the families of all involved will be kept healthy.

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There are a lot of guys on the Red Sox roster that absolutely need to play in 2020. The first name that comes to mind is Jackie Bradley Jr., as he will be a free agent come next winter. Then we have the curious case of J.D. Martinez and whether or not he’ll opt-out at the end of the season.

Service time will be counted for 2020 no matter the number of games played, so both men could be gone come next spring. The Fenway Faithful also needs to factor in the few guys signed to just 2020 that either has free agency or a club option in their future.

We very well could see the Red Sox bring up a number of top prospects if the league allows for expanded rosters. With a handful of guys rocking and rolling in Triple-A, a youth movement may be in-store for Boston in 2020

It was nice to finally hear from the Commissioner on this matter as it’s been just the owners and players primarily speaking to this point. I’m not the biggest fan of Rob Manfred and I’ve never once tried to hide that, but it was time for him to put his foot down. He gave the kids plenty of time to settle their differences and now it’s time for an adult to step in. For me, it’s a massive sigh of relief to know that we’ll be seeing Red Sox baseball in 2020.