6:55PM: The Center Of Disease Control And Prevention has issued a recommendation against any events of 50 or more people over the next eight weeks in the United States. That eight-week timeline would last until May 9, so assuming that the health situation stabilizes within those eight weeks, a Memorial Day start to baseball season wouldn’t seem feasible, given the necessary time required for preseason preparations.
4:56PM: With MLB operations on hold due to the spread of the coronavirus, it’s becoming increasingly likely that the season remains on hold until at least Memorial Day weekend, according to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Such a scenario would push back the beginning of the regular season to late May. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the commencement of the season “anytime before June would be viewed as welcome.”
Officially, the beginning of the regular season has been delayed for a minimum of two weeks, which points to April 9 as the earliest date for the sport’s return. But in light of recent developments, that date is looking more and more like a mere pipe dream. Indeed, Robert Murray reports that the MLBPA has advised players to consider returning to the place they would be most comfortable for the next 4-6 weeks. The Athletic writers Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich reported yesterday that it was unlikely for the season to begin before May.
In light of a memo distributed by MLB this morning, minor leaguers have been sent home and organized group workouts at team facilities have been halted. Yesterday, it looked like a host of teams were planning to stick together despite the stoppage, but it’s expected that more and more clubs will vacate their Spring Training facilities in the coming days. And with affiliated baseball discovering its first confirmed case of the virus this morning, teams may be more hesitant to keep players grouped together.
By all accounts, MLB is still aiming to play a 162-game season, but the feasibility of that goal will no doubt be challenged by any significant setback. If indeed the season is delayed until Memorial Day or June, a truncated season may be in order. Otherwise, we might be looking (speculatively) at December World Series games in neutral sites. Of course, specifics on this front are scarce and will remain nebulous until the situation gains clarity.
The consequences of a delayed regular season are wide-ranging, and the subsequent questions that must be resolved will be manifold. Issues such as compensation (especially for minor league players and stadium staff), service time, schedule structure, workouts, and plenty more will need to be sorted out before the 2020 campaign may carry on.
Dreaming, perhaps in colour.
Service time will be an issue.
No, it won’t. Everything’s about to be paused. Including rents, bills, lives. We wont be allowed outside until the last person in America has been quarantined for 14 days, the faster we all do it, the faster we get out, but people are too stubborn and still going outside for anything but work or getting supplies.
China is seeing less and less cases by the day and are talking about reopening schools next week. Thing is, they’ve been doing this for 2+ months already, America is on Day 5. We have a long, long way to go and we are probably going to be stuck indoors for months until all cases have been isolated.
I think KD396 means in the future when it comes to arbitration for the players just breaking into the league. Certain players will play a “full” 2020 season but will get less days counted towards their service time. It will affect when certain players will be able to become a free agent.
Are you suspending all payments? Mortgages and taxes as well? Who will pay for the workers providing the labor producing the food. Do they still have to pay their rent if they are being paid? Who pays their boss for the salaries and food he supplies. You strike 4 are a moron.
Agreed!
Also, if by chance there is no season. It could force all players into an extra year before Free Agency, making them all older, and therefore less valuable.
Meanwhile, young players are not getting game reps to get better.
i dont know why all these sports leagues are projecting so much. i get there are so many moving parts, but they’re moving way too quickly to cancel and retract things. some leagues canceling their seasons within days of suspending operations. what’s the rush? im not very optimistic about this at all, but i feel like it would be worth at least being open to things clearing up quickly if it does happen.
Agreed.
Why be in a rush to cancel it. It looks like this could be a very long drawn out process… but maybe it does resolve itself quicker than expected. At least leave the option open to start up earlier than expected.
I think they are doing that though. No official announcement from MLB beyond the April 9th date. Just speculation and realistic expectations that this will be extended beyond that date.
I get what u guys are saying. But, it takes time, money and resources to put these major sporting events and such together. Not to mention the politics involved. Uve got to have a venue, and that venue has to not be booked for other events, u have to have employees, u have to have concessions, u have to have ample paying customers to support such an event. And if everything fell perfectly in place, which is rare, but governor of that state has put a ban on public gatherings of more than 100 ppl ur still screwed. Theres 100s if not 1000s of moving parts to consider. And in some cases it’s more feasible to just cancel in entirety and start planning fresh for the next one. Personally I think everybody is overreacting, but u have to take that overreaction into account.
Common sense should tell everyone that there will be no baseball until June, at the earliest. And no way they play 162 games. I’m looking at a 120 game schedule.
81 may be the number.
Why? No way they play 162 but how is it unreasonable to think they have a 2 week resumed spring training in say late April and get going in Early May. The other sports leauges will have to be back by then and so should baseball.
There not going to be any sports probably until next year. What’s going to really change in 2 weeks or 2 months? This isn’t a weather issue, this is a disease that isn’t just going to go away in the near future, especially with the possible vaccine not ready until another year at least.
Honestly, I will be pleasantly surprised if there is a 2020 season at all.
Sure, I’d love to see some January baseball!
Chokeland might play better in January than they do in October. Might be time to find a new team there, fourski.
I like a lot of teams, why single out Oakland? Dumb comment.
A January game is Minnesota sound lovely.
How cute, you actually think the twins are going to be in the World Series. Adorable!
All Major League College & Minor League Sports will resume once they perfect a coronavirus vaccine. Until then, you can always Youtube your favorite team!!
Nobody knows when. Any dates etc. are pure speculation. This isn’t going away anytime soon.
I’m thinking they do a 110 game season split into 2 halves like they did in 1981
Coronavirus is going to kill us with boredom
Unless it kills someone you love, assuming you love people. I’ve never known one person who died from the flu. I’ve already known two people who went to the ICU and nearly died of coronavirus.
July 4th is the correct time. Manfred never does anything correct. No leadership.
There is still huge TV money. And honestly, the American Public could use the distraction and a reason to be home.
Play without fans in the stadiums. With nothing else going on, maybe they’ll bring in new fans.
Charter Air Planes, there are plenty of them. Lease Hotel Rooms at Hotels and have baseball Responsible for sanitation.
In a month, there will be no issue with testing. Test often.
There is a way to do this with minimal risk to the players.
If baseball is going to wait until they can have fans in the Stadiums, it’s gong to be a long wait.
Good observation Halo11fan. Play without fans until the crisis diminishes. I’m a season ticket holder of the Rangers, and am anxious to see baseball in the new ballpark, but I agree we need to err on the side of caution.
The Pirates have been playing without any fans at PNC park for years.
Looks like someone could become the first “Mr. December”
Depending on the date they start they can have 2 seasons.And do what they did in 81 have playoffs with the winners of the first half playing winners of the 2and half. And have more play off games to make up for lost revenue.
I think the reason they’re looking at Menorial Day is they need another Spring Training.
On a positive note…. It will make it that much more difficult for the Angels to be 20+ games out at years end.
I think they still will be
This is how you push fans away again
Silver lining to this is Detroit and Baltimore could well be tied for first place come June 30th. Bet nobody called that in January
The Pirates have been playing without any fans at PNC park for years.
The god of the old testament is a psychopath. He directly or indirectly killed thousands of people. He creates them knowing they will disobey him and then kills them. How sick is that? The god who creates everything in Genesis has the knowledge of the natural world that an ordinary person in the Iron Age had. The Noah story is preposterous on every level, from the fact that it would fall apart upon construction to the fact that stone giants helped him build it to the fact that it could never hold even 2 of every insect let alone every animal to… oh, forget it. That book is total nonsense as is the underlying story/premise of Christianity.