Major League Baseball has provided the MLBPA with a 67-page document with proposed protocols for returning to play, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich. The document covers testing, gameplay conditions, spring training rules, intake processes, and more, an outline of which is laid out by Rosenthal and Drellich in their piece.
The “operations manual” is an important step in launching a 2020 baseball season. Obviously, the Players’ Union still must approve, the logistics for medical and auxiliary staff must be handled, facilities must be prepared, and there remains any number of blockades that might derail a return to play. Still, it appears as if Major League Baseball has done the legwork to answer many of the operational questions facing the league’s return to action.
A central topic covered in these pages appears to be continued social distancing for players. It certainly makes for an interesting “team” experience, with communal dining and any socializing beyond family members discouraged (but not, it seems, disallowed). Masks may be utilized everywhere except on the field, and players will do their best to maintain 6 feet of distance even in the dugouts, which the article explains, could extend into the stands, should the extra space be necessary. Players have begun to display their personalities with expressive shows of emotion and team celebrations more and more so in recent years (“let the kids play”), and it will certainly be interesting to see how players can continue to be themselves and form team bonds/personalities in such a restrictive social environment.
The most pertinent issues here relate to player testing, of which many protocols have been laid out, including the process for bringing players into spring training, traveling with the team, and what happens if a player does test positive for COVID-19. The league has also outlined ways to limit potential exposure and spread. The minutiae are also attended to here, with items like “Communal water and sports drink coolers/jugs are prohibited” and “Dugout phones will be disinfected after each use”. Spring Training facilities, meanwhile, will limit teams to 50 players, per Rosenthal and Drellich. It’s important to remember, too, that there is sure to be much more detail in the full document. Presumably, all the pertinent details will be released to the public once an official agreement has been reached between the league and players.
All in all, there’s a great deal of coverage here and it’s well worth reading Rosenthall and Drellich’s piece in full. As we continue to ponder the possibility of if baseball can resume in 2020, this document attempts to cover much of the territory for how play might resume. The next step will be seeing how the Players’ Union reacts to it.
The MLBPA is going to push for more than 50 players in spring training sites, that’s a
lock…
From what’s been said I don’t think that will be a point of contention. 30 player active roster and a 20 man taxi squad.
Where has it been decided that the roster will be 30?
30 man roster has been tossed around.
Nothing been “decided” yet but 30 man rosters and NL DH seem locks to keep players fresh.
Its been one of the issues that needs to be taken in and approved. 30 player rosters, no walk off HR displays at home plate, NL DH, and other issues to come forth.
No more than 15 pitchers per roster and 15 others.
It’s important to remember that using “too” in the middle of a sentence like “it’s important to remember, too,” is very awkward writing.
While your opinion is respected, it’s important to remember that it is just your opinion too.
I wanna say that you’re also supposed to use a semi-colon either before or after a word like that right in the middle of a sentence. Still, it’s minuscule.
You would only use a semi-colon if you have independent clauses (complete sentences) on both sides of it 😉
Scott, you are a true hero; your wealth of knowledge is a blessing to each and every one of us here in the comment section.
Thanks, man.
Barely clumsy, richt. Unless you have an editor/proof-reader/fact-checker interest in the site, there’s more awkwardness in your comment, imo.
“too” is short for “in addition to everything mentioned so far”. That’s not awkward. That’s lazy!
(I kid, TC. You guys do a great job!)
thanks for your highly valuable input richt
English professor here. It’s neither awkward nor grammatically incorrect to use “too” in the middle of a sentence. It’s an interjection, and as long as it is surrounded by bracketing commas, then it has been used properly.
I am amazed by the grammar police who have the gall to denigrate others when they don’t understand the rules themselves.
Now look who looks awkward.
Who cares?
why ,you always have you’re problem cuz articles ain’t written good; and Maybe get a life- ‘sometime”.! like OK Shakespeare?
you could do one of those facebook polls and get 900 different opinions from english majors
my prose has been called “refreshing” by some
Only for assholes
If MLB was smart they would create an app so fans could directly influence what noise was happening or even influence how the players celebrate.
To keep the game interesting, they should create a spotlight celebration area for hitters between home and first, and pitchers from the mound to the dugout, to highlight the personal celebrations – we could even grade them and make favorites based off them, and use said app to vote on them.
that sounds pretty cool
If MLB wanted more fans they’d create an app and implemented some of the following:
Players can live stream batting practice or have a media coordinator live stream players practicing
Players sending videos to fans about how games went like video blogs
Coaches sending videos before games about different things like how players are doing on the road
Younger fans need to feel more connected to a team than they do about winning or the sport.
Agree on most of those, the sport shouldnt be so secretive and needs to be more public and fan-friendly. It mostly needs to get out from behind paywalls and cable tv and be more easily-accessible in general, but that’s another thing.
MLB does the worst job ever at marketing their talent, it’s genuinely sad how anti-player the league always gravitates towards being. Most fans don’t even respect Mike Trout despite him being the best player any of us have ever seen.
Strike four I agree, but with Trout some of that is on him, he doesn’t seem to want to be the face of baseball or have all that attention. Just wants to play and be great
Well except for Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, and a few other old timers.
If Trout played in NY, it would be a different story. Hey
im sure if that’s what the kids want them they wolnt do it, just like how juicing the ball doesnt make baseball fans but instead repulses them. no, other sports do these things. they need to find a way to make kids like the game itself if they want to stand out.
You know why no other sports need to do those things? Cause football and basketball kids can go out into the yard and play. You just need a ball. You can play basketball 1-1 and football you need 4 people minimum to play a game. 6 if you want 3-3 but you can manage 2 on 2. Baseball you need 18 people
Baseball you need a glove bat and baseballs. And if some kid hits it over the fence your games done.
No other sports does those things cause they can recruit younger fans simply by kids playing the sport during PE.
Also. Madden and nba2k have dominated the video game industry for sports. The most popular mlbs are limited to one platform. The show is only available to play station. Even if MLB video games manage to hit all the platforms Madden and nba2k you can reduce the time for each quarter so it’s manageable to play multiple games. Mlb can’t go from 9 innings to 7 innings to 5 innings.
So what you’re saying is you spend most of your time in your parent’s basement playing video games.
You don’t need 18 people, you ever watch the sandlot movies, and players from poorer countries have made do with less than a bat, glove.
How about using the major scoreboard for would be fans once a run scores or a HR with a loud applause. Music between innings, etc. Certain favorite songs for RP’s coming in they need to think of something to keep it interesting for those watching on TV ( fans ) and players.
I’d like to hear live coaching commentary. Not in regard to pitch selection, but positioning, anticipating substitutions, anticipating the opposite team’s strategy and things like that.
How hard would it be to mic every essential coach? This would at least make every replay interesting because you could play back the recorded strategy as the replay was aired or even throughout the entire at bat.
While we are at it, I’d like to have umpires wired as well. Who wouldn’t like to hear exchanges between players, coaches and the umps? Manager gets tossed? Let’s hear why! Tape delay can sensor everything.
Good thing Paul O’Neil retired. What would he swing his bat at in anger?
67 pages??…..Really??
I mean, the proposal is effectively a billion dollar agreement bcuz without it, there is no season, so I assume there are probably hundreds of million-dollar lawyers working on it, so 67 seems a little light.
everyone’s a critic. they needed to be through for legal reasons and for the sake of covering all their bases. (no pun intended)
Yeah sure, send out a blurb, a memo…
imagine being this dense, smh
I don’t care if the Blake Snell’s of the world don’t truly care about the safety of himself (because he’s healthy). It’s the guys like Kyle Gibson, Jake Diekman, and Cookie that need to approve it. Hopefully we can look at this upcoming NASCAR race to see if anybody contracts it there, because there are a lot of people there on each crew (despite being spread out).
Wait, 800+ players can’t play unless less than 5% of players approve the deal?
I understand that even if all the players with pre-existing conditions don’t approve it, we will still play. I’d just like to know if they approve of the health part of the deal for their own safety. Then I’ll believe that MLB put out a good deal to protect the health of the players.
I do find it interesting they banned team coolers. The local high school has a no-touch water bottle filler, but MLB dugouts can’t have coolers bcuz covid.
This document is something only a lawyer or Government bureaucrat can love. If 67 ( or) more pages are really needed to play baseball, then they would be better just cancelling the season.
It’s a legal document between the league and union. 67 pages isnt all that bad. Stuff like that usually breaks 100 pages easily.
The reason it’s so many pages is to eliminate as many loop holes and possibilities to be sued.
Please, these guys are making millions and still being pampered. If the guy at Walmart has to work for 12 an hour still has to work, let’s get these guys back on the field.
Quit comparing stock boys to a professional sports league.
for the last two months, the Stockers in stores did more for this Nation than these players who were sitting at home.
and so? what does it have to do with what service they have provided? they’re part of the economy and they make a lot of money, so clearly people have an economic interest in them.
real smooth brain hours over here
Yes thats right no comparison, one us essential and one is not.
These guys are prima dona”s.
The poor guy at Walmart is a semi slave.
Can’t live without him.
Can live without baseball players.
So I’m OK if they want to quit and bring in the AAA and AA players.
At least the AAA and AA may be more likely to show up for work.
But who knows?
LOL
Interesting MLB releases the info to reporters before the P.A. has a chance to comment. If you have 50 guys reporting where do the excess guys play? They have to be in shape and ready to play.
Aren’t you familiar with early spring training where you have a squad and b squad?
This will be similar I’d assume.
I really hope there’s a plan for the MiLB. Maybe a spring training all season long. Or all minor leagues go to their respective MLB ballpark and have inter squad games all season long before the MLB team plays. Minor leaguers can’t be at home doing nothing for a full year
Yeah, this year is seriously going to hurt the development of these minor leaguers. But you will be able to tell who has been putting in work this year when we start 21′. I expect the players who have done work in 20′ to be leaps and bounds ahead of those who didn’t when they start play again.
67 pages to read by these players……..that might be more than what they might have read in high school and college combine !
MLB Union better get them a Tutor to get them through this document process.
Lawyers* and Agents*
That’s who’s going to read the documents.
Mlbpa and players aren’t reading the documents. That’s why they have lawyers and agents….for this exact reason.
Did you mean “combined?” Was proofreading your comment too strenuous?
there are litteraly Ivy League graduates that play baseball. stop acting like they are dumb.
@bigbadjohnny – please log off, your takes are so bad they hurt
67 pages…….it might take these Players all summer to read that !
Stop projecting your limitations on others.
Think what Gladiators had to go through to finish a contest…….men with swords, spears, nets coming at you…….roving lions & tigers……….pits of fires…….chariots running people over……people screaming in the stands calling for your death……………and if you were left standing at the end…….it would be another night in a cell to fight another day.
Why not just test all of the players, coaches, umpires and workers and their families before the season and ask them all to isolate from the general public except under social circumstances.
If none of them have it, they can celebrate all they want with no risk of spreading anything.
good grief do we need to criticize everything? who cares how many pages the document is? we cant do anything about it so we shouldn’t complain about it.
b00mers love to complain about things that arent held to their magical standard that was actually garbage low rent bs all along
It needs to be 69 pages. No explanation needed.
This is so incredibly freaking stupid
taking bets on who spits first.
This is so dumb. I would absolutely hate to not have baseball for the year but I would almost rather have no baseball than watch this where players are told what they can and cant do on the field. This is not baseball I’m sorry
“67 pages!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!”
Why does reading and writing enrage so many people?
I guess they want each side to just say “let’s wing it and see how it goes” and then shake on it…
I find reading and writing stimulating, not enraging…..I didn’t raise the question of 67 pages in anger, more an indictment on what happens to simple conversation between two parties when you get high priced lawyers involved….That’s why I signed up for this app, to read various opinions on the game that we all feel strongly about….Even the people I don’t agree with make valid points, that occasionally make me look at an issue from another angle….
So, let’s be glad we have this space to share our thoughts….
Go ahead and read it. It’s 67 pages of stupidity.
No spitting…..No scratching…..No high fives……
Will there be a hand soap dispenser at the mound ?
Will the Umpires have wipes on hand ?
Why is there a hatred on Baby Boomers ?…..are Generation Z group mad about paying off this new debt ?
I was thinking how fast the players will run away when a player clears out his nostrils in the dugout !…..
Will chewing tobacco be banned ????…..that is a nasty habit to have.
Can you imagine the Trainer coming to the mound in a hazmat outfit !
We have not talked about the Umpires and their concerns……..Will Managers be required to email in their line-up before the game ?
Do all New baseball’s come straight out of the box from the ballboy ?
How about those replay headsets????…..Will they be reused or new headsets be used?
I just hope the guy who has to wash the players jock straps will get tested more than anyone……maybe the owners will have a large canister that is on fire and players just dump their entire uniform in it after each game.
This really not about Fear of the virus……..this all about the Fear of the Players of not getting fully paid…..or the Fear from the Owners of being in the Red this season.
Who will be the one who has to wipe down the slide at Brewers stadium after a HR is hit by a Brewer ?……I say use Miller beer to sanitize.
I do know that the Chicago Mayor will have over a thousand cops ring Wrigley & Sox park during games…..but ignore the city gang problem.
Just let the Kids play……..America needs it.
Brilliant Johnny.
Arrogance and greed by players and owners will eventually kill mlb. They are basically relying on tv money now to prop up this dinosaur of a sport. A lot of sports fans under 35 could care less about mlb as most can’t or won’t watch for a variety of reasons. The sports of today for them are nfl, nba and ultimate fighting. Kids just aren’t playing baseball anymore so unless players and owners figure this out the goose that laid the golden egg will be over with sooner rather than later.
pitchers have their own balls. what about catchers?
Does anyone actually pay for a subscription to the Athletic? I thought ESPN+ was ridiculous; now these other publications are taking it to a whole new level. Either figure out how to monetize your publications via advertising or get out of the business!
Players should not get tests over the public. Until the general public can be freely tested at will, professional athletes should never take precedence. This is insane.
One of the proposals is that al east teams only play each other and no east teams. Same with central and west. What does this solve?
Flying from Florida to Canada.
Flying from Texas to minnesota.
Flying from Southern California to Seattle.
What does this accomplish?
Look, as long as the danger is real and American workers are shut down, no professional sport is more important. The hypocrisy is just insane. There are going to parts of this country still in a massive recession with unemployment rates over 25% and we are worried about keeping millionaires safe? Where are the priorities? Damn…
I’m just trying to figure out how they come up with a spit catching N95 mask?
Spitting is part of Our National Past-time.
Died (DYED) in the wool.
LOL
The vaccine mRNA-1273 may be ready for wide use by July 1st. Texas has already expressed avid interest & has 1000’s of humans wanting to sign up for clinical trials. There are 10’s of 1000’s overseas that want to sign up too.
The trials so far show a small dosage produces the same antibodies & T cell production as a natural infection.
I think MLB is going to feel a lot of pressure from fan groups to let them attend these games IF they are able to gain “immunity” certification. I’ve talked to a number of baseball fans that say “give me the virus” so I can gain immunity.
As I’ve said all along, the Fed needs to work in concert with MLB here.
That certification system needs to be ready sometime in July.
No vaccine is ready to get approval until the end of the year. Every test and protocol would have to passed before then which is highly unlikely. It is in the very first stage of the process. How many people did they test it on?
The sad part is you can test negative and still have the virus, that’s the problem. Some guys have a strong immune system and get the virus but it doesn’t show an increase in their temperature or other tests. Then what? if they spread it to other players does the team shut down the season?
Better happen fast. Interest is waining!
Financial interest dies very slowly.
LOL
Financial interest dies very slowly.
If ever.
LOL