What's On Your Mind Wednesday: On quarantined life, when the Mets' 2020 season could start

MLB Writer

Together, we're playing the waiting game. Sports are on hold as our nation battles COVID-19.

We're left reminiscing on past memories and pondering what would have been had the pandemic not struck. Some are watching classic games. Others continue to sulk — which is OK! — because spring, to them, is not the same.

TOSCANO:With MLB season delayed, how do my 2020 NY Mets predictions look now?

We are all looking to the future.

We hope baseball is back soon. But more so we long for the return of normalcy, for a reality in which we don't have to constantly worry about the health and safety of loved ones.

A few weeks back, MLB suspended spring training and delayed the start of the regular season. Now seemed like a good time to drop another What's On Your Mind Wednesday.

Let's get to it.

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have not made in-depth public comments on any scenarios. It's fair to note that my guess would be as good as yours.

If someone tells you they know what will occur, they are lying. Right now, we can't predict coronavirus' continued spread, how long it may last, or when it would be safe to resume playing baseball.

With all that said, it seems possible the league could resume without fans. That thought process would perhaps go like this: We need to get in as many games as we can, and doing so without fans to begin a shortened 2020 season might eliminate a risk factor in another COVID-19 outbreak.

But is this necessarily the correct route? Not sure.

Baseball probably should not return until health experts are 100 percent sure that a season — complete with travel, fan interaction, shared clubhouse usage, etc. — will not allow coronavirus to once again run rampant. As of now, that seems to be a difficult standard to reach.

What happens if a major leaguer tests positive for coronavirus?

What certain cities might be coronavirus hot spots in three months? Will they be different from those heavily affected by it now?

Is it safe for players and staff to travel from city to city when there's even the slightest chance someone could get coronavirus?

These questions must be answered because we don't want to set ourselves back. We are using social distancing and following stay-at-home orders, but the league must not rush baseball back. That would be reckless.

There are two sides to your question.

1. Baseball without fans is better than no baseball. The league and teams want to get in a season, and that's the safest way to do it.

2. If the league is barring fans, should it even be playing games at all?

As of now, it's uncertain which prevails.

This delay is a positive for many players still recovering.

For example, Yoenis Céspedes might be able to continue his running progression — more running in zig zags, more cutting, more sprinting. Jed Lowrie could also remain in shape and get a feel for whether he can play with the big brace on his left leg.

With these two, however, there seems to be one snag. Players haven't been able to do many baseball activities because many facilities around their homers throughout the country are closed.

Céspedes and Lowrie also must progress in the baseball activities area. The Mets did not seem concerned about either during spring training.

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But everyone is in the same boat trying to figure out how to stay game-ready during a time when everything is shut down.

Michael Conforto's case seems less concerning than that of Céspedes or Lowrie. The Mets provided no timeline on Conforto before MLB suspended spring training, but this delay should give him ample time to heal.

Of course, oblique injuries are tricky. He had never suffered one before this, and he said Dr. David Altchek told him they play out differently for everyone.

The delay gives injured players more time to rest up and heal. In theory, it seems like a positive. But how does the lack of organized activity factory into it all? That might make it difficult for Céspedes and Lowrie, who were doing mostly everything but playing games during spring training.

They might be slower in ramping up than other players when MLB is ready to begin the season. It could be tougher for them than, say, a Conforto.

But if Céspedes and Lowrie are healthy and can return, a shortened season might mean the Mets press them into action sooner. Who knows?

Heck, at this point, we're unsure if there'll even be a season.

It's been wild.

Without a season, there is no clubhouse access and no material from games. While I've always tried to differentiate my coverage and not simply resort to writing "the story of the day" every day, the lack of access — a challenge we all face right now — makes it difficult.

So, we've all had to find creative ways to write stories. Different ways to look at something. Various subjects on which to report.

Of course, we're humans and understand COVID-19's impact goes far past sports. It's affecting lives in the worst way. It puts a pit in your stomach.

I'm accustomed to searching out creative stories and using varying angles to tell them. Now more than every, we've had to do so because there are no games, no stats, no storylines that immediately hit you.

Most who undergo Tommy John surgery require 12 to 15 months to recover. That means Noah Syndergaard, at the earliest, would be back in April 2021. More likely, he returns in the summer.

No recovery is the same, though. The timeline could change throughout the process based on setbacks or other factors.

This is for certain: He'll miss all of 2020 — or whatever is left of it — and some of 2021. As the months go by, the question will center on whether he'll be the same pitcher when he returns. It's too early to examine that.

STAFF:After Noah Syndergaard's injury, how does the Mets' pitching depth look?

To the second question: As everyone remembers, the Mets placed Syndergaard on the trading block around last year's deadline. He had heard his name in trade rumors before that, too.

It's difficult to say what Syndergaard's future holds. While he is not missing much right now, he is set to become a free agent after 2021, meaning these two seasons were his time to improve his value.

If the Mets sought to trade him next July, it seems unlikely — even with his natural talent — that he would net the same return he would have if dealt in 2019. He would be a two-month rental for a team versus having two and a half years of team control remaining.

It is too early to predict whether the Mets re-sign him at the end of the season or if he goes elsewhere. He seemingly is talented enough, with electrifying stuff, that he should earn a nice payday if he pitches well upon returning next year.

Joe Panik served his role well last season. In Robinson Canó's absence, he provided the Mets a solid option.

Panik is now on the Blue Jays' major-league roster. He could've been a depth piece for the Mets, but New York also had others.

The Mets expected to have Lowrie. Jeff McNeil might be playing more infield. Luis Guillorme has experience with the big-league club. Eduardo Nuñez is an intriguing non-roster invitee.

Baseball is a business. Panik knew that.

When I tweeted asking for questions and thoughts for this piece, Ernest sent this. Great stuff.

For years, many of us have wished we could work from home. Now we can. Some are handling it better than others.

Always great to find positivity in the situation.

I also asked Mets fans how they were doing.

These two have found their own silver linings amid this delay. Baseball will be back soon enough, folks.

Great question. Unfortunately, I'm planning to do something on this.

Stay tuned for my roster projection that will drop soon enough. In the meantime, stay happy and healthy.

Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com Twitter: @justinctoscano