The Dinner That Could Cost Two Professional Athletes Millions Of Dollars

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Friends,

During a recent road trip in Chicago, Cleveland Indians teammates Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac broke COVID-19 protocol and went out for dinner.

Seems trivial enough right? Wrong - Since the original incident on August 7th, the saga has dragged out. Both players reputations have been tarnished and the continued fallout could potentially cost each player millions of dollars.

(Photo Credit/Sporting News)

So what happened?

Pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac left the team’s Chicago hotel on the night of August 7th to get dinner with friends, an activity that was prohibited by team/league COVID-19 protocols (Source).

The players returned back to the hotel at separate times, with Plesac being caught entering the lobby. Plesac was subsequently put in a rental car and taken back to Cleveland to quarantine.

Clevinger, on the other hand, wasn’t caught entering the team hotel. Instead, he flew back with the team on August 9th and sources believe “he was not truthful with them about his involvement before he boarded the team plane” (Source).

Plesac, in an attempt to control the narrative, decided to post an instagram video blaming the media for the backlash he’s received. Here’s an excerpt from the video (Source).

With team chemistry quickly deteriorating, Indians Manager Terry Francona asked Clevinger and Plesac to address the team before their game last Friday. It’s unclear what exactly was said but sources claim the meeting was “testy”, with teammates scolding Clevinger and Plesac for their irresponsible actions (Source).

Some players accepted their apology and requested they remain with the team. On the other hand, veteran pitcher Oliver Perez voiced his displeasure - ultimately threatening to opt-out the remainder of the season if the players were allowed to return.

His frustration reportedly stems from the fact that the players were careless in their actions which could have negatively impacted their teammate Carlos Carrasco, who was treated for leukemia last year.

In the end, the veteran won out and Clevinger/Plesac were demoted to the Indians alternate training site, otherwise known as the 2020 version of the minor leagues. This is where the financials come into play.

What’s the Financial Impact?

First, let’s give some context - Clevinger & Plesac aren’t mediocre players.

Over the last three years, Clevinger has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball, producing a 2.96 ERA in ~447 innings. Plesac, just 25 years old, isn’t a slouch either. Before his demotion last week, he was posting a 1.29 ERA with a 24-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio this year (Source).

Given baseball has the most complex compensation formula out of any of the major professional sports leagues, let’s keep it simple. With a shortened season, the players demotion could have a severe impact on their “Service Time”, or essentially the mechanism that determines when a player reaches free agency.

Here is a great breakdown, by Jeff Passan, discussing how the demotion would impact Clevinger’s service time:

Long story short, keeping Clevinger at the alternate site for 20 days would delay his free agency a year. With a slower market for starting pitchers in their 30s, a year delay could end up costing Clevinger millions of dollars on a new contract.

Similar repercussions could also be in store for Plesac. Given where his service time sits now, Cleveland would only need to keep him at their alternate site for 18 days to affect his service time and delay his ability to enter arbitration after this season.

It’s unclear how long the Indians plan to keep Clevinger and Plesac at their alternate site, but given the financial repercussions, you can guarantee Clevinger & Plesac are counting the days.

If this gets drawn out, don’t be surprised when things get ugly.

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Extra Credit

Since we’re talking pitchers, who’s up for a conspiracy theory? Or as Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander calls it, “the truth”.

When current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was named to his post in 2014, he was clear that the league needed more offense. An increase in power pitching around the league, had led to a two decade continuous decline in yearly home run totals.

Next thing you know the MLB buys Rawlings, the leagues baseball manufacturer, and home runs take off. Coincidence? Verlander doesn’t think so, here’s what he has said about it in the past:

Commissioner Manfred responded, stating that there appears to be “less drag” on the baseball but he's not sure why, as the MLB didn’t direct Rawlings to do anything differently.

I’ll let you decide.

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