Jays’ challenges grow as staff, players test positive for virus
Team will pitch proposal of Rogers Centre being a bubble to get games in Toronto
Already faced with the significant challenge of where to play their 2020 season, the Toronto Blue Jays have now been rocked with an outbreak of COVID-19.
Less than a day after Major League Baseball announced a planned 60-game schedule, a Jays source confirmed on Wednesday that several Toronto players and staff based in Florida have tested positive for the virus.
The team is not releasing names of those who tested positive.
Adding to the complications of the outbreak, the Jays have been busy trying to finalize plans for an abbreviated training camp beginning on July 1. The team had originally planned to hold camp at its development facility in Dunedin, Fla., but Wednesday’s development could put a wrinkle in that option, a source confirmed.
The positive results came from tests administered last week after an unnamed pitcher on the 40-man roster reported COVID-19 symptoms. A similar outbreak hit the Philadelphia Phillies at their Florida base in nearby Clearwater.
The Sunshine State has become a viral cesspool in recent days, which is of particular concern to the Jays. Several players have been based in the Dunedin area since spring training was shut down in March.
While the 29 other MLB teams will report to their home city ballparks for the three-week training camp in advance of a July 23 opening day, the Jays don’t currently have that option.
TD Ballpark, where the Jays play their Grapefruit League schedule, remains a prime option for the 30-game home schedule should the Rogers Centre remain unavailable. The team recently worked on improved lighting for the newly renovated stadium, an important upgrade for TV broadcasts.
Part of a Jays pitch to get games in Toronto will be the possibility of creating a bubble at the Rogers Centre where visiting teams could be housed in the hotel that is part of the aging stadium.
Behind the scenes, Jays management will attempt to gain a similar exemption that the NHL was able to procure for Canadian cities bidding to be a hub for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Jays would prefer to return to the Rogers Centre for at least a portion of the shortened season.
Meanwhile, what will be a sprint of a season compared to the 162-game marathon certainly creates some unique circumstances for the players who will take the field.
It also has the potential for some thrilling results, particularly for a young Jays team that added ace starter Hyun-jin Ryu in the off-season and may have flame-throwing top prospect Nate Pearson as part of its rebuilt rotation.
Consider that the Jays went 29-31 during the final 60 games of 2019, riding the emergence of young stars such as Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio. The possibilities for the 2020 team are intriguing.
Here are some of the notable logistical elements of the 2020 schedule:
For the regular season, the
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National League and American League will be abandoned with three 10-team divisions created along geographic lines to ease travel. The Jays will play 10 games against each of their four AL East opponents and the remaining against the NL East.
The season will begin either
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July 23 or 24 and end on Sept.
27. The previously negotiated expanded playoff format was scrubbed after talks broke down.
Rule changes include the
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addition of a universal DH for all teams, a necessity given the mix between AL and NL teams within their new divisions. In part due to health concerns designed to speed up play, extra innings games will begin with a runner on second base.
With baseball’s minor leagues
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essentially shut down, teams will be allowed to bring 60 players to camp, a list that needs to be submitted to the league by Sunday. Teams will be able to draw from that pool all season. Given the shortened training period, teams will be allowed to carry 30 players for the first two weeks when it will be reduced to 28 and then down to 26 later in the season.
■ Because of health and safety protocols in the new agreement designed to reduce time at the park, there will be no doubleheaders in 2020. As well, players may only arrive at the stadium five hours prior to first pitch and must leave 90 minutes after its conclusion.
■ There are a number of social-distancing initiatives in place, including managers leaving the dugout to argue with an umpire required to maintain a six-foot distance or risk ejection, suspension or fines. Players are being told not to fraternize with opposing teams before the game, during the game or between innings.
■ The injured list will be set at 10 games for traditional game-related ailments but for COVID -19 issues there is no maximum or minimum period.
■ As cold as it would be to deal a player in the middle of a pandemic-shortened season, the trade deadline has been set for Aug. 31.