As time passes by and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic becomes slightly more contained throughout the United States, optimism surrounding the 2020 Major League Baseball season continues to grow.
The league has discussed a variety of plans, such as playing all games in Arizona, Florida and potentially Texas with no fans in attendance while players stay quarantined at hotels to avoid getting the virus.
It appears keeping everyone in two or three states may not be entirely necessary though. The latest report about a possibility MLB is discussing would include games at home stadiums without fans in attendance, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
Major League Baseball officials have become cautiously optimistic this week that the season will start in late June, and no later than July 2, playing at least 100 regular-season games, according to three executives with knowledge of the talks. They requested anonymity because the plan is still under consideration. And not only would baseball be played, but it would be played in their own major-league ballparks, albeit with no fans.
Under this plan, MLB would realign the league into three divisions: West, Central and East. That would allow for teams to be able to play at their own homes while having to travel less.
The West division would feature the entire normal National League West and American League West divisions, meaning the Los Angeles Dodgers would be facing off against the Houston Astros in a 2017 World Series rematch.
If MLB wants to start its season in late June then that would entail a second Spring Training starting in early June so players can have enough time to get prepared for the regular season. That would require drastic improvements of the pandemic over the next month, which is possible but uncertain at this time.
Because there are still so many question marks moving forward, MLB has discussed a variety of potential plans for the 2020 season. There seemingly is a new one reported every day, so the latest is by no means set in stone and likely won’t be how the eventual season is played.
It seems that all parties involved are committed to getting a season in though, which bodes well for the Dodgers in their quest of returning to the World Series in 2020.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events and more!
