The basic outline of MLB’s idea involves playing roughly 80 games—about half as many as usual—beginning in early July, following a second spring training in June.
Photo: Julio Cortez/Associated PressAmerican professional sports have been shut down for two months because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Major League Baseball is about to get serious about finding a way back to the field.
MLB is expected to present a formal proposal to the players’ union this week that will outline the league’s idea for how to stage a season in 2020, several people familiar with the matter said. This will come after commissioner Rob Manfred holds a conference call with the 30 team owners Monday to discuss the plan.
The move comes as state economies are beginning to reopen, and baseball faces the reality that if it doesn’t act soon, the entire season could slip away. But huge challenges stand in the way, including the question of how often players and other personnel will be tested—and where the resources to do that will come from.
Details remain fluid and subject to change as the public-health situation evolves. There are still plenty of questions that need to be addressed pertaining to safety and economics, and negotiations between the two sides will almost certainly run into speed bumps along the way.
Despite all of that, there’s reason for optimism. After consulting with their respective medical advisers, officials on both ends of the bargaining table agree on one key point: that while playing this year might be difficult—and unlike anything baseball has ever attempted before in its long history—there is a scenario where it’s feasible.
The basic outline involves playing roughly 80 games—about half as many as usual—beginning in early July, following a second spring training in June. Games would be held without fans in as many MLB stadiums as allowed by local governments. Other teams would relocate, perhaps to their spring training facilities in Arizona or Florida. For example, anybody entering Canada is currently subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, making the Toronto Blue Jays a candidate to find a new home, at least at first.
Anybody entering Canada is currently subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Photo: john e. sokolowski/ReutersTo reduce travel, the schedule would be regionalized, with teams exclusively facing opponents from their own geographic area. That would mean, for instance, the Los Angeles Dodgers playing games against not only their traditional National League West rivals, but also American League West teams like the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. Additionally, the playoffs would expand from 10 participants to as many as 14 as a way to help offset MLB’s reduced revenues. Rosters could also be expanded.
Initially, MLB thought about sequestering players and essential personnel in the Phoenix area and playing all games there, but that is no longer seen as a likely solution. There are several reasons for that, including Arizona’s blistering summer heat, player concerns about possibly being quarantined away from their families for months and the ability of networks to produce a high-quality broadcast in spring-training stadiums for what will be exclusively a television product.
For any of this to proceed, two giant hurdles need to be cleared. First, the league will have to assure the union it has the capability to administer frequent coronavirus screening—how frequent is still unclear—without taking testing capabilities away from front-line workers and more essential sectors of the economy. Second, there must be a protocol for what happens if someone contracts Covid-19–ideally without shutting down the entire league.
Then there are the financial considerations. The league is expected to ask the players to take a further pay cut as a result of playing in empty ballparks, meaning teams will receive no revenue from ticket sales, parking and concessions. The two sides previously reached a deal in March in which the players agreed to prorate their salaries, but MLB says that only applied to games with fans, and anything else requires further negotiation.
The salary issue will almost certainly lead to a fight. MLB says it isn’t economically viable to play in empty stadiums while still paying players their full rates. The union believes that TV revenues, extra postseason games and the reduced expenses from playing without fans will help cover the losses. At the moment, neither side seems prepared to budge.
Share Your Thoughts
Do you expect MLB to have a season in 2020? What do you think of the idea of realigned divisions for a shortened season? Join the discussion.
Write to Jared Diamond at jared.diamond@wsj.com
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