December 15th, 2020 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka It has become a thing – the instant every Dodger fan on the planet wakes up, they immediately grab their cell phone, hit the Twitter icon, and scroll down to see if the Dodgers have re-signed beloved (and now 36-year-old) free-agent third baseman Justin Turner or – Lord forbid – another team has signed him.
It is a thing because Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have yet to decide on whether or not the Designated Hitter will again be used in the National League for the 2021 season … if there is a 2021 season.
It is also a reason – perhaps the reason – why Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman has not re-signed Turner.
It is also the proverbial ‘Elephant in the room’ – everyone knows it’s there, but due to Collective Bargaining Agreement issues, no one wants to acknowledge it or talk about it.
By all indications, neither MLB nor the MLBPA appears to be in any hurry to come to a resolution on what amounts to a crucial topic; especially for guys nearing the end of their MLB careers who also happen to be free agents; guys like Turner and 40-year-old Minnesota Twins DH Nelson Cruz, who finished the 2020 campaign sixth in the AL MVP voting and second in OPS+ at 169.
(Photo credit – David Berding – USA Today Sports)
“It’s just kind of hanging over everyone’s head like ‘What is the deal?’” one unnamed NL executive told Sports Illustrated‘s Stephanie Apstein last week.
According to Apstein, MLB sent an email to MLB teams shortly before the December 2 non-tender deadline informing them ‘to proceed as if there will be no DH in the National League.’
The email did not address roster sizes.
“I don’t know that [the email] clarified anything for anyone,” said another unnamed NL exec.
Per Apstein, MLB did not rule out the possibility that it might come down to another special CBA between MLB and the union for 2021, as was the case for the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. It also did not set a deadline for when such an agreement must occur. As fans know, the current CBA expires at the end of the 2021 season.
Stay tuned.
…and keep checking that cell phone.
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