One of our alumni’s, Blake Finney, spotted a little gem via Newsday.com (Click here for an EU GDPR friendly link).
According to The Associated Press, “Major League Baseball is considering one of two matchups for its 2020 series in London: Mets vs. Washington Nationals or Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals.” — Blake Finney (@FinneyBlake) February 8, 2019
This is exciting news, especially for those that are fans of one of those four teams, but also for the neutral baseball fan. MLB are once again looking to bring over some of the big boys, not just some tinpot matchup to accommodate the CBA requirements. So who are we likely to see playing for these four potential visitors? Well, that’s quite difficult to predict right now. What we could do is pick out who is unlikely to be featured and try to imagine which team could be the biggest “disappointment” at being selected. Cubs Here are a list of player who’s contracts will expire at the end of this coming season.
As great as it would be to see the great Cole Hamels pitch, I won’t lose sleep if he’s gone. No huge losses for the Cubs. Mets Same again for the Mets, who is unlikely to be there in 2020.
Zack Wheeler, I’d miss him, at a push. Cardinals Let’s look at those potential STL departures.
Wow, this is the roughest of the lot so far. Not getting to see Goldschmidt primarily, Ozuna very much a secondarily, would be a disappointing loss for the UK and European baseball crew. However, 2020 will be Yadier Molina‘s last season, imagine getting to have a glimpse at one the Cardinals most beloved players in recent history. It could be pretty special. Nationals Finally, what about Blake’s very own Washington Nationals? Which players are likely to depart them at the end of the 2019 season and miss out on this potential trip.
Anthony Rendon is the big name that could be clearing off from the Nationals at the end of this year, which would be a huge loss to the fan base here (And for Nationals fans in general!)
Overall, there aren’t too many big names that are departing. We could get the opportunity to see Javier Baez turning double plays, Yadier Molina’s final season, Noah Syndergaard pitching fire or Juan Soto mashing bombs. It’s all rather exciting, yet again, for the British and European baseball watching public. Now, lets return to the news report at the top of this post. Go on, have a look at the quote. You’ve read it again, right? Major League Baseball is considering one of two matchups for its 2020 series in London. They are considering, they could still change their mind and pick two “lesser” teams. In the meantime though I’m getting excited for a Cubs – Cardinals showdown, just 90 minutes from my home.