Chicago Cubs: 3 players hurt most by shortened season

As momentum builds for a 2020 Chicago Cubs season, three players stand to lose the most due to the shortened schedule.

Although it’s still not a matter of when, it’s looking increasingly likely that there will be Chicago Cubs baseball in 2020.

Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association are entering a critical week of negotiations as the two sides look to finalize plans for a shortened season prior to June 1st, giving players ample time to ramp back up before the season would start in early July.

Although many hurdles still need to be cleared – player salaries, health considerations for players and their families, roster sizes, whether or not there will be revenue sharing, etc. – both the owners and the players stand to lose tremendously if no deal is reached. Because so much is at stake, it’d be surprising if the two sides aren’t able to come to an agreement.

With much negotiating left to do, it’s difficult to forecast what a possible 2020 season will look like. However, one thing is certain: the 2020 season will be much shorter than normal. MLB’s most recent proposal includes an 82-game regular season schedule.

The shortened slate of games by itself is a big enough adaptation to make 2020 a season to remember, but that may not even be the most notable change. Expanded rosters, a universal DH, and an expanded playoff field have all been discussed. While nothing is set in stone at this point, adding just a single one of those new rules would have been big news at the start of this year, let alone instituting all of them at once.

Regardless of what rule changes are actually agreed upon, teams and players will adjust accordingly if it means getting back on the field and resuming play as quickly as possible.

Nearly all Cubs players will be negatively affected by a shortened schedule, but there are three notable players who may suffer more than others.