Major League Baseball is bracing for the beginning of the 2020 season to be disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported early Thursday morning.
According to Passan’s report, MLB is preparing for local governments to implement policies limiting the size of public gatherings or banning them altogether — the latter being on an indefinite basis.
High-level MLB executives are expected to discuss the league’s plan for the season on a phone call Friday, Passan said. One option is for teams to play regular season games at their spring training facilities.
This lines up with a Tuesday report from the Associated Press stating the league’s preference is to relocate games rather than cancel them.
At a press conference Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city and its professional sports team are discussing how to handle crowds at games. Other cities — namely Seattle and San Jose — have banned large public gatherings altogether for the time being.
The NBA announced the suspension of its season for the indefinite future on Wednesday after a player tested positive for the virus.
Even if Opening Day goes on as planned March 26, it’s starting to feel like the league will enact some policy that alters the landscape of the season.