To follow up on the previous post, here is the Wikipedia entry to MLB forfeits. As far as I can tell, there has never been a tactical forfeit. At least since 1900, they have been declared for teams being unable to field enough players, and unplayable fields. Some teams tried to slow down a game early if they were losing and inclement weather was approaching. If the umpires thought the tactic was extreme, those teams would forfeit the game. Teams have taken forfeits for safety issues or to protest bad umpiring. But I have seen no indications of taking a forfeit to prevent travel for an unneeded game or games.

The current situation created a instance where the Padres have an incentive to lose and the Mets have an incentive to forfeit. That’s pretty bad.