Good morning, Athletics Nation!
For Oakland A’s fans, one team-specific effect of the coronavirus pandemic has involved Marcus Semien.
The shortstop played like a star in 2019, earning himself a third-place finish in the MVP voting, and 2020 was set to be his last year before free agency. His presence was expected to be a major factor in the club’s dreams of World Series contention, but at the same time another strong performance would certainly price him out of the their budget on the open market next winter. In other words, unless the A’s suddenly broke their long-standing tradition of letting expensive stars walk via free agency, there was a good chance this would be his last hurrah in Oakland — but at least it could be a memorable one.