MLB submits plan to Canadian government to play in Toronto
TORONTO, June 25, (AP): Major League Baseball has submitted a plan to the Canadian government to play in Toronto this year and health authorities are examining it.
Anna Maddison, a spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency of Canada, said the restart plan is being reviewed.
“The resumption of activities in Canada must be undertaken in adherence to Canada’s plan to mitigate the importation and spread of COVID-19,” Maddison told The Associated Press.
“The Public Health Agency of Canada has received, and is currently assessing, a restart plan from Major League Baseball,” she said.
Maddison also said big league baseball requires the formal support of health authorities in Ontario.
Anyone entering Canada for non-essential reasons must quarantine for 14 days, and the US-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel until at least July 21.
On Tuesday, the Canadian government said it was open to MLB playing in Toronto this summer, but the league had not submitted the required plan to health authorities. A senior federal government official said if MLB submitted an acceptable restart plan to the government, an exemption letter similar to the one provided to the National Hockey League could be provided. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Rob Manfred knows many fans were angered by the financial fight between Major League Baseball and the players’ association during a pandemic.
“We need to get back on the field, and we need to in a less-charged environment start to have conversations about how we – and the we in that sentence is the commissioner’s office, my staff, the clubs and the MLBPA and the players – can be better going forward,” he said during an interview with The Associated Press. “We owe it to our fans to be better than we’ve been last three months.”
Spring training was cut short by the novel coronavirus on March 12. The sides reached an initial agreement on March 26, which was to have been opening day. That deal called for players to receive prorated salaries, get $170 million in advances and receive a guarantee of service time in the event no games were played this year.
When it became clear the only way to start the season was to play in empty ballparks, the sides battled publicly over what the agreement meant.
The Texas Rangers have signed all five of their picks from baseball’s condensed amateur draft after completing deals with their thirdand fifth-round selections.
Texas announced the signings of right-hander Tekoah Roby and shortstop Thomas Saggese. Both 18-year-old players were drafted out of high school two weeks ago.
Saggese ($800,000) and Roby ($775,000) each got signing bonuses above slot.
The Rangers signed their other three draft picks last Friday, with Mississippi State second baseman
Justin Foscue receiving a $3.25 million signing bonus after being the 14th overall pick.