As Major League Baseball continues to evaluate its options for a 2020 season, there have been a number of different plans considered to best ensure player safety amid to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
One of the options was for all games to be played at Spring Training facilities with players quarantined at hotels and away from their families when not on the field.
While that option seems to no longer be on the table with teams now being able to play at home stadiums, it drew pushback from multiple players, including Clayton Kershaw. The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace made it clear he did not want to be away from his family for four or five months.
In a recent interview on Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser’s podcast, “Off Air with Joe and Orel,” Kershaw clarified his comments, explaining that he was willing to accept the Arizona plan if the quarantine rules were relaxed a bit after some time, but he also noted weather could have been a factor:
“It’s not that I’m against going to Phoenix. I just didn’t want to be quarantined for four or five months. If we need to be quarantined for a little while, to get this thing going, I think that’s understandable. I think it would be hard to get a full group of players to go stay in a hotel for five months by theirselves and play a game. I just don’t see that happening, but I could be wrong.
“And I think everybody underestimates how hot Phoenix is. It’s a small thing that I think we can get over, but if you’re playing a 1 o’clock game in Surprise and it’s 120 degrees, it’s going to affect the product on the field.”
While player safety still is the biggest issue at hand, MLB and the Players Association are in a financial negotiation standoff that remains contentious, which doesn’t bode well for a 2020 season taking place.
If the two sides can come to an agreement, the return of baseball could be just around the corner, paving the way for Kershaw and the Dodgers to pursue their goal of winning the 2020 World Series.
The league has left open the option for players to opt out of playing if they are not comfortable with the health standards, so it will be interesting to see if Kershaw or any Dodgers decide to do so.
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