Major League Baseball joined the rest of the sports world in March by temporarily suspending operations due to concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
All remaining Spring Training games were cancelled, and the start of the regular season was indefinitely delayed. The shutdown is now approaching the two-month mark, with still no plan in place as to when the 2020 season may begin.
While a multitude of scenarios have been discussed, there are still many hurdles to overcome. For one, some players aren’t keen on the idea of self-quarantining away from their families.
MLB must also make sure they can secure enough tests for players, coaches and other essential staff without restricting the general public’s access.
As a result, some around the league don’t believe a solution to when the 2020 season can start is close until testing and social distancing protocols are set, via Ken Rosenthal, Shams Charania and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic:
Someone with MLB told me something interesting last week. There can be no plan, he said, until the league figures out how to proceed from the standpoints of health and safety. What are the testing protocols? The protocols for social distancing? For cleaning? For travel?
Once all that is figured out — and not before – the league can back into what the season will look like. For now, officials are modeling a variety of scenarios, as they should. But they don’t have firm answers yet.
In addition to these obstacles, another potential factor slowing up talks is conflicting information being relayed by healthcare workers and politicians.
While MLB has relied on the advice of medical professionals such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, government officials are also believed to have a major say on when the sport can resume.
Some politicians are pushing for a quick return, going against the recommendations of others in the process. Such could prove problematic, but in the end, MLB will decide what is best for its players and fans.
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