MLB’s opening day pushed back eight more weeks.
Commissioner heeding latest advice from CDC on size of public gatherings
adherence with new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Major League Baseball will not resume in April, commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged in a statement Monday, furthering the uncertainty surrounding the sport during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, the CDC recommended canceling or postponing all gatherings of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. That goes all the way to the second full week in May.
“The opening of the 2020 regular season will be pushed back in accordance with that guidance,” Major League Baseball said in a statement Monday. “The clubs remain committed to playing as many games as possible when the season begins. We will continue to monitor ongoing events and undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by public health experts, and urge all baseball fans to follow suit.”
Manfred conducted a conference call with league owners Monday to update the status of ongoing negotiations between MLB and its players association. Most AsIn tros major leaguers — including Lance McCullers Jr., George Springer and Josh Reddick — returned to Houston over the weekend.
McCullers said Sunday he and his major league teammates would split into two groups — one in Florida and another in Houston — to resume their training. Michael Brantley makes his offseason home in Port St. Lucie, Fla., while reliever Brad Peacock lives near West Palm Beach.
Most major league players who return home can receive up to $1,100 per week from the Major League Baseball Players Association while baseball remains shut down, according to a memo sent by the MLBPA on Monday.
The memo, sent specifically to agents and obtained by the Chronicle, states players on a 40-man roster as of March 13 are eligible to receive the stipend, as are nonroster invitees who were major league free agents when the 2019 season ended.
The practice will remain in effect until April 9 — what was originally thought to be the earliest date on which the regular season could begin. The situation’s continued evolution, along with the league’s encouragement that players return home
from their spring training facilities, made that original date something of a pipe dream.
Teams can still execute roster moves and transactions while the sport is shut down, but a roster freeze “is one of many discussions” between MLB and the MLBPA, according to the memo. The memo warned that “it is possible a freeze may go into effect in the very near future.”
For the Astros, non-roster reliever Jared Hughes’ status is of most pressing concern. The veteran righthander was signed in February with an opt-out in his contract that he could execute if he’s not on the 40-man roster by Wednesday.
Hughes, 34, turned himself into a legitimate candidate for the team’s opening day bullpen during Grapefruit League play. A spot is open on the Astros’ 40-man roster, but if a freeze is enacted, the club may not be allowed to execute the procedural move of adding Hughes.
In its memo Monday, the players association said it is attempting to protect players like Hughes. One consideration, according to the memo, is “tolling” any optouts dated March 13 or later and allowing those players to exercise the clause when spring training resumes.
Negotiations between the league and players association will continue and, according to the memo, encompass “conditions for resumption of play; amended scheduling; player salaries; major league service; contracts and transactions; core economics; amateur signings; potential adjustments for collectively bargained dates and deadlines.”