Sources close to Major League Baseball say that the league and its players are increasingly focused on a plan that could see them starting the season in May. The plans have been supported by high ranking public officials who do believe they they can operate safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan would see all 30 MLB teams play at stadiums with no fans in the Phoenix, Arizona area that includes the Arizona Diamondbacks Chase Field, 10 spring training facilities, and possibly other sites. Players, coaching staffs, and other essential personnel would be sequestered at local hotels and live in isolation that would just include travel to and from the stadiums. Federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the National Institutes of Health have been supportive of a plan that would adhere to strict isolation, promote social distancing and allow MLB to become the first professional sport to return.
Although the return of professional baseball this season does have possible stumbling blocks, this plan is the most likely to try to salvage it. Some have said the plan is more realistic to possibly happen in June instead of the beginning of May, which is what the MLB and the MLB Players Association is hoping for. Below is the full statement from the office of Major League Baseball:
“We have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do. While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. While we continue to interact regularly with governmental and public health officials, we have not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association. The health and safety of our employees, players, fans and the public at large are paramount, and we are not ready at this time to endorse any particular format for staging games in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the coronavirus.”
