Start of baseball season could be delayed way longer than expected
Players, executives and coaching staffs began packing their bags throughout baseball Sunday and are headed home. And they may be staying home for a long time.
There’s a real possibility the Major League Baseball season could be delayed until Memorial Day weekend at the end of May – or even longer – said two MLB executives, who spoke
on the condition of anonymity since they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the discussions.
No one knows when MLB will be able to begin its 2020 season, but certainly, playing a 162-game schedule starting on April 9 is completely unrealistic.
Owners and presidents had a conference call scheduled for noon ET Monday to determine the next steps, which is changing by the hour as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the world.
The commissioner’s office strongly encouraged everyone to go home Sunday after a New York Yankees minor-league player tested positive for coronavirus, knowing that it’s foolish to believe it’s an isolated case.
The Yankees instructed all their minor-league players to be quarantined for the next two weeks. The unidentified player was never in their major-league camp, located about a mile away.
Said MLB in a memo Sunday: “The strong recommendation from our infectious disease and public health experts is that clubs should avoid all activities in which players congregate in significant numbers or are otherwise unable to practice the ‘social distancing’ protocols recommended by the CDC.
“The risk of a player in a club facility contracting the virus is real, and we must implement protocols to protect the safety and well-being of our players and staff members. In addition, we must recognize that there is the potential for further federal and state restrictions that will impact our operations, including restrictions on travel.”
Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter met with his staff and players Sunday and told them their spring-training complex in Jupiter, Florida, would be shut down immediately, encouraging them to not even participate in informal workouts.
The San Diego Padres, whose entire team voted unanimously to stay at their complex in Peoria, Arizona, were planning to leave en mass Sunday after being told they should not conduct formal workouts.
Several players said that they plan to stay at their spring-training facilities only until their lease expires in the next week, and then will go home or travel to the home city of their club, awaiting further word.
Players are permitted to stay under the collective bargaining agreement, only there cannot be any organized workouts or even large groups working out informally together. The minor-league players and non-roster players were instructed to return home as soon as possible. If the international players or players who live in high-risk areas can’t return home, the clubs will find accommodations.
Commissioner Rob Manfred and union chief Tony Clark met over the weekend in Phoenix to determine whether players will be paid. They will continue to receive all medical coverage until at least opening day. The scheduling, whether they will even attempt to play regular-season games at the back end of the schedule into October, remains in flux.
There’s no way of predicting when the season will start, so it’s silly to worry about scheduling.
All that’s known is that baseball is shutting down until further notice, which likely will require at least another two weeks of spring-training, pushing back the season much longer than MLB initially anticipated.
The health of their players remains the biggest concern, with MLB telling its teams that their doctors and trainers should regularly communicate with all players and staff members.
“Any player or staff member experiencing the symptoms of coronavirus or the flu – which include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, cough, or shortness of breath – must immediately notify his or her Club,” the memo said. “In addition, players should be informed that if they test positive for the virus, or are exposed to someone who tests positive, they may be quarantined for a significant period of time and not be permitted to travel during that period.”
The Texas Rangers have advised their players to go home from camp in Arizona.
“Clearly, this is an unprecedented period in our world’s history, certainly in our country’s history,” Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said. “None of us have ever lived through anything like this, and hopefully, God willing, we will never have to live through anything like this again.”
(USA Today/TNS)