Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Major League Baseball is considering opening the season in empty spring training parks -- with no fans and all players quarantined.
The plan would have all teams stationed in one centralized location -- likely Arizona. Rosenthal notes, "The logistics of quarantining 30 teams in one area would be extremely complex and potentially controversial... requiring local, state and federal government cooperation and resources that might be necessary to fight the coronavirus pandemic." The major logistical concern though, "To play under quarantine, the sport would need to protect the health not only of players and other club personnel, but also umpires and those producing the television broadcasts, plus hotel workers, bus drivers and anyone else involved with the players and games". It's encouraging to hear that MLB is exploring all possible options to begin the season as soon as possible and to fit in as many games as possible during the 2020 season, but there are going to be many major hurdles that they'll need to overcome first to guarantee the health and safety of all involved.
The plan would have all teams stationed in one centralized location -- likely Arizona. Rosenthal notes, "The logistics of quarantining 30 teams in one area would be extremely complex and potentially controversial... requiring local, state and federal government cooperation and resources that might be necessary to fight the coronavirus pandemic." The major logistical concern though, "To play under quarantine, the sport would need to protect the health not only of players and other club personnel, but also umpires and those producing the television broadcasts, plus hotel workers, bus drivers and anyone else involved with the players and games". It's encouraging to hear that MLB is exploring all possible options to begin the season as soon as possible and to fit in as many games as possible during the 2020 season, but there are going to be many major hurdles that they'll need to overcome first to guarantee the health and safety of all involved.
