Opening day was supposed to be March 26. ESPN says the plan could kick off the 2020 season in May, and added that the plan has “emerged above other options as the likeliest to work and has been embraced by MLB and MLB Players Association leadership.”
The plan, sources say, would ask all 30 teams to play at 11 fields in Arizona, with no fans present (which might actually work out as an advantage for the Rays, which unfortunately had some of the worst attendance in the league). MLB confirmed the idea in a statement, adding that “we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan.”
But before you get all happy about the Rays not moving to Canada, consider all the things that have to happen before MLB can actually do this.
For starters, the federal government has to say it’s OK. The league has also “not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association.”
Then you’d have to make sure that players—750 across the league’s 30 teams when you consider 25-man rosters—get tested along with coaching and support staff. And we all know how there’s a shortage of tests for the public, so why would a bunch of athletes get theirs first?
Then you have to find housing or hotels for all of the players (like Rays cutie Tyler Glasnow, pictured above) and staff relocated to Arizona.
We also have no clue as to how many of the 162 scheduled games would actually get played during the 2020-21 season. ESPN wrote that sides discussed, “Seven-inning doubleheaders, which with an earlier-than-expected start date could allow baseball to come closer to a full 162-game season.”
The list of what-ifs goes on and on and has many layers including rule changes to prevent close contact. So yeah, don’t hold your breath sports fans.
See MLB's full statement below.
MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do so. While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. While we continue to interact regularly with governmental and public health officials, we have not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association. The health and safety of our employees, players, fans and the public at large are paramount, and we are not ready at this time to endorse any particular format for staging games.
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This article appears in Apr 2-9, 2020.