Nearly eight weeks have passed since Major League Baseball cancelled the remainder of Spring Training and delayed the start of the 2020 regular season, yet there still is not much indication of when Opening Day will finally roll around.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic not only brought professional sports but society as a whole to a halt, and only recently have some states begun to loosen stay at home restrictions. Meanwhile, MLB continues to evaluate various scenarios for the regular season.
Reported talks have included all teams playing in Arizona; using Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues for division realignment; and Arizona, Florida and Texas serving as hubs with 10 teams in each state.
While details still must be decided — and agreed upon — Justin Turner recently explained during an interview on “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” what some of the steps are to beginning the regular season:
“It’s going to be very complex, there’s going to be a lot of moving parts. Basically, what MLB and the Players Association is going to have to do is rewrite a brand new Collective Bargaining Agreement for this season alone. So getting a date to start is obviously the biggest hurdle and then once we know that, then they’re gonna have to go to work and figure out what a schedule looks like, where teams are going to stay and how it’s going to work, and families. Some of these proposals that we’re going to be in Arizona for four months quarantined and no family allowed to stay with you, so it’s going to be wild. There’s going to have to be sacrifices made but I think everyone wants to make sure we get a season in this year.”
Turner is among the Los Angeles Dodgers who has signed off on being quarantined in order to play a season, though he also expressed an understanding to Clayton Kershaw and others taking the opposite stance.
No matter which scenario MLB and the MLB Players Association ultimately agree to, it likely won’t come without support from public health officials and immediate access to an abundance of tests.
The second factor is a delicate detail and could prove problematic, as MLB is sensitive to creating the perception of taking tests away from citizens who may face a more pressing need.
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