Concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic effectively shut down the sports world last month, but Major League Baseball has been exploring a myriad options in recent weeks that would allow them to carry forward with the 2020 season as soon as May.
One proposal that made the rounds involves all 30 teams beginning the year in a centralized location such as Arizona, where games would be played in a fan-less environment. Players would additionally be required to self-quarantine in between contests.
The plan has received support from federal health officials, but not every player is believed to be onboard due to the possibility of being away from their families for upwards of four months.
Another idea that has been floated around would see teams return to their Spring Training homes for the regular season. Under this scenario, the traditional American and National Leagues would be eliminated in favor of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, leading to the realignment of divisions based on the proximity of one’s Spring Training facility.
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, it would entail sharing a division with their Camelback Ranch co-tenant Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and L.A. Angels.
Though MLB isn’t close to finalizing a plan, ZiPS projected the Dodgers to win a hypothetical Cactus League West, cruising to a Major League-best 67-41 record and tying the New York Yankees for the most wins in all of baseball.
The model is based on a 108-game season, as teams would play their divisional rivals 12 times and non-divisional opponents six times.
Not only are the Dodgers tabbed to win the makeshift division, but their playoff percentage (93.3) and World Series percentage (13.3) are second to only the Yankees (94.2, 15.6).
Other projected division winners in the Cactus League include the Oakland Athletics of the Northeast (59-49) and San Diego Padres of the Northwest (59-49).
In addition to the Yankees taking the top spot in the Grapefruit League North division, the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays are pegged to finish in a tie for first place in the South (61-47), with the Houston Astros taking care of business in the East (62-46).
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