COVID-19 Roundup: (Some) Teams Address (Some) Workers’ Needs

This is the latest installment of a daily series in which the FanGraphs staff rounds up the latest developments regarding the COVID-19 virus’ effect on baseball.

IHME Roadmap

One of the most detailed COVID-19 projections out there is produced by the The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, a research instituted founded in 2007. The IHME model endeavors to project how long until states reach peak resource use, including hospital and ICU beds, as well as ventilators. That the model breaks things down state by state is crucial because given the size of the United States, it seems likely that we’ll face two months of individual hot spots that peak at different times rather than one uniform disaster. It’s important to note that the IHME model assumes both that current social distancing measures will remain in place and that the remaining straggler states will enact similar measures as well.

This kind of modeling isn’t just important for policymakers and citizens, but for businesses like Major League Baseball that are attempting to map out their return to normalcy. If these projections turn out to be accurate, it could provide baseball with a lot of useful information as to which places will be safer to hold games sooner (fanless or otherwise), and which dates to look to for an apex to the virus’ trajectory. If states start missing their projected peaks, it will tell everyone that the road ahead will be harder than previously expected, and plans can be made (or adjusted) accordingly. Again, all of this is predicated on the assumption that we continue to practice social distancing. So for the sake of your family and neighbors (and to hasten baseball’s return), please stay home as much as possible.

Homer-Turner Overdrive

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has suggested that when major league baseball returns from its COVID-19 delay, the game should go to a home run derby for extra innings. Part of the motivation for this idea is to generate extra interest in baseball among fans; part of it is to mitigate the effect of long extra inning games on pitching arms that have gove unexpectedly unused for a large chunk of the spring. In a normal year, I’d hate this idea with the fire of a thousand suns, but while I don’t like it, I don’t despise it quite as much in an odd year such as this one.

MLB Support of Stadium Workers Mixed

Since MLB’s announcement last month of measures meant to aid suddenly unemployed stadium personnel, it’s been more up to the individual teams to take care of their employees and various subcontractors.

Some teams have continued to show support for their furloughed workers. The Giants recently announced an additional $700,000 has been put aside for their workers. The Yankees announced a $1.4 million distress fund for their day-of-game workers, though they have to demonstrate need. The Red Sox have increased their payout to $1.5 million in order to include workers employed by Aramark.

But not every team has shown equal support for their lowest-paid workers. The Nationals have yet to commit to concession workers employed by their partner, Levy Restaurants. The Rockies appear to be paying concession workers employed by Event Services but not those with Argus or Aramark.

As the delays stretch further into the summer, these workers’ financial situations will only grow more precarious, and teams’ commitments will be worth keeping an eye on.

Fox Sports Workers Unpaid

With most of their employees at the various Fox Regional Sports Networks they own freelancers, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, has offered not to pay their furloughed employees, but instead to extend them $2,500 loans. Sinclair purchased the Fox RSNs last year for $9.6 billion.

Nick Ahmed Open to Masks

MLB has yet to officially commit to playing games in front of fanless crowds or, for safety reasons, requiring players to play in protective masks. But some players have suggested that they’re open to it, which is not surprising given that each month the games aren’t played, players collectively lose hundreds of millions of dollars in salary. Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks, for example, is down for playing in masks if it’s necessary to get the game going.

Edmonds Feeling Better

Jim Edmonds has stated that he’s now feeling better and is asymptomatic after previously suffering breathing trouble from COVID-19. Edmonds served as a broadcaster for Fox Sports Midwest during spring training, and the Cardinals have been retracing his steps in an attempt to identify who Edmonds had contact with and when.