Local status as of now for all teams
MLB’s proposed 82-game regular season, played in home ballparks beginning in July, almost certainly won’t come off exactly as it hopes, thanks to the many factors that can waylay a season played amid a pandemic.
Most notably, MLB’s hopes of staging games in home ballparks without fans will be subject to 28 markets being cleared to play, a goal with constantly moving targets.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said last week during an appearance on CNN that he spoke with the 18 governors with MLB franchises in their states and that “most governors expressed hopes we’d be able to use facilities, without fans.”
Most, but not all, could be a recurring theme as the game navigates a season within the COVID-19 crisis. Manfred cited many contingency plans for teams that might have issues playing in their home market. Many of those might ultimately involve playing at spring training sites in Florida and Arizona, where both governors have, for the moment, laid out the welcome mat for sports without spectators.
Another key factor is MLB’s 2020 schedule plan, which will have teams playing only against teams in their division or geographic area: East, Central and West. The advantage of proximity could be compromised if certain teams must relocate.
In the next six weeks, MLB’s plans will very much remain a moving target; large gatherings remain banned, even as almost every state has loosened stayat-home restrictions. And some might be forced to take a step backward between now and June (when MLB hopes training camps open) and the hoped-for season opening in July.
For now, however, here’s a market-by-market look at the likelihood of teams’ ability to play at home and where they might go if they can’t:
Arizona Diamondbacks: Gov. Doug Ducey laid out the welcome mat for all sports teams to come play in his state, be they native or relocated, as he OK’d dining in at restaurants and let several other stay-athome restrictions expire. Should conditions remain as they are, the Diamondbacks would likely have company at Chase Field, with the likelihood other teams in the West will need a home, too.
Atlanta Braves: Truist Park resides outside city limits, leaving it to Cobb County and the state of Georgia with the final calls on large gatherings. Gov. Brian Kemp allowed a stay-athome order to expire April 30, but bans remain on gatherings of more than 10 people; a shelter-in-place order remains for residents 65 and older or those with underlying conditions.
Baltimore Orioles: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan lifted the state’s stay-at-home order, but Baltimore’s will remain, Mayor Jack Young announced last week, citing a lack of adequate testing. City health commissioner Letitia Dzirasa also said the city was struggling with responses to contact tracing.
Boston Red Sox: Mayor Marty Walsh told The Boston Globe last week there will be no fans at Fenway Park this season but he’d be open to the Red Sox hosting games in an empty stadium, provided MLB’s COVID-19 protocols meet or exceed the city’s own standards. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker had not yet specified how far he’ll loosen stay-at-home restrictions at press time when Phase 1 of reopening commenced this week. State officials have also expressed concern about a fall outbreak; the likeliest Plan B for the Red Sox for training and playing would be their spring facility in Fort Myers, Florida.
Chicago Cubs and White Sox: Gov. J.B. Pritzker has extended
TOM PENNINGTON/GETTY IMAGES
a ban on dining in at restaurants to June 26, while other metrics are also unsettling. Illinois recorded its deadliest day (192 deaths) on May 13, and Pritzker said the next day: “This pandemic is not over. And to pretend otherwise in a misguided attempt to reclaim what we have lost will only make this last longer.” The Cubs (Mesa) and White Sox (Phoenix) train in Arizona.
Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told USA TODAY Sports “it’s a possibility” the Reds and Indians could play this summer but that MLB’s plan to protect players and insulate visiting teams from the public will be key. The state did allow limited reopening of retail stores, restaurants and salons last week, with face masks required, and established guidelines for the reopening of pools, gyms and amateur baseball and softball leagues.
Colorado Rockies: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said May 5 that the city can join the state’s loosening of stay-athome restrictions, enabling 50% customer capacity for retail and commercial businesses and appointment-only for salons, tattoo and barbershops.
Detroit Tigers: Michigan remains under a stay-at-home order through May 28, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the state is in Stage 3 – flattening – of a six-stage opening. Whitmer said last week that sports with fans in attendance won’t occur in Michigan until a vaccine is in place and distributed. Relocating could add travel strain to the Tigers, who train in Lakeland, Florida; six of their nine Central mates train in Arizona.
Houston Astros: While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott allowed a statewide stay-at-home order to expire April 30, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo signed a new order that kept non-essential businesses closed through at least May 20. The Astros are the only team in either West Division that trains in Florida.
Kansas City Royals: The city began a phased reopening May 6 that is stricter than the statewide order, and Mayor Quinton Lucas told USA TODAY Sports he believes early July is “an aggressive timetable” for sports to return in his city.
Los Angeles Angels, openings parlors
Los
Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants: California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on May 18 that if current trends hold up, pro sports could be in a position to open up without fans “in the first week or so of June.” Orange County, home of the Angels, has no specific stayat-home orders, but Los Angeles County board of health director Barbara Ferrer indicated earlier that the Dodgers county’s stay-at-home order would extend through July. Stay-athome orders for six Bay Area counties were extended through May 31, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed cited the 1918 flu pandemic as a cautionary tale for doing too much, too soon. “Folks threw off their masks and went out into the streets and partied and had a good time. And a few days later, we were even worse off than when we started. We don’t want that to happen in our city,” Breed said on April 27. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer had urged Newsom to give that county the authority to open sections of its economy.
Miami Marlins: While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was slow