As you probably know, MLB is not going to mess with the puck in union negotiations. After all, if there is no agreement on the evening of the 28th for a new work contract, matches will be canceled.
Not reported. Cancelled.
Without an agreement on February 28, the MLB will not postpone games: it will cancel them
And as we seem far from an agreement, we should no longer hope for a season of 162 games.
If the season starts on April 15, for example, the players will lose part of their salary and the scheduled games will simply never be resumed.
What is the impact of this decision on the Blue Jays, the most followed team in the country and in Quebec? Let’s see the schedule.
On March 31 (not shown in the April calendar, of course), the club will be in Baltimore before heading to Toronto to host the Rays and Rangers.
Two things to remember:
- Besides the duels against Tampa, the Blue Jays have easy duels in the first week.
- Presumably, Marcus Semien will have to wait until 2023 to set foot in Toronto again.
The following week, if the work stoppage continues, a visit to the Bronx awaits Charlie Montoyo’s men as well as a visit from the A’s. Again, easy and difficult.
But after the April 18 break, the rest of the first month of the season is not easy: trip to Boston, trip to Houston before seeing these same two teams land in the Queen City thereafter. It’s really not an easy schedule.
Their next break? May 9, after a series at home against the Yankees and another at the Cleveland Guardians. Next? In the Bronx and in Tampa.
So if the work stoppage is really long, it will save the Blue Jays some tough games. Otherwise, it will only be small duels that will be canceled.
It should be remembered, however, that the games are mostly against division rivals and the Jays are a threat. So it’s good for Toronto, but good for the other clubs too.
Finally, it is only for the partisans that it is not good, all that.
