With the calendar about to flip to February, the scheduled start of 2021 Spring Training is close to getting underway for Major League Baseball teams.
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, that means players are getting ready to report to Camelback Ranch for the defense of their 2020 championship, which is the first the organization has won since 1988.
MLB has made it clear all offseason that the plan is to start the 2021 season on time despite the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in order to play a full 162-game regular season.
It appears not everyone is on board with that though as the Cactus League asked MLB to delay the start of Spring Training. While they do not have the ability to put a stop to Spring Training and have no plans of doing so, Cactus League executive director Bridget Binsbacher explained they are prepared to move ahead with the expected start, via Jeff Passan of ESPN:
“If it is determined that spring training is going to start on Feb. 27, we’re prepared for that,” Binsbacher told ESPN in an interview. “Our focus is having a safe, secure experience for all involved. We believe we can do that on the 27th. We believe we can do that a month from the 27th.”
“We know that there’s a vaccine and that it’s going to have been administered,” Binsbacher said. “The projections say that the cases will plummet by mid-March. That makes it absolutely more manageable to do this with every additional day.”
The only thing that could actually put a stop to Spring Training is Arizona lawmakers determining it is necessary, which is unlikely considering other sports are currently playing in the state, some even with fans in attendance.
In contrast to the Cactus League, one Grapefruit League stadium in Florida has already announced ticket plans for Spring Training, so they are planning on starting on time with fans in attendance.
The Dodgers have not yet announced when pitchers and catchers are reporting to Spring Training, although it typically is within the first two weeks of February.
MLB expected to discipline teams for reporting to Spring Training early
With Dodgers players being so anxious to get the season underway, a majority of their players usually report to Spring Training early. That will not be the case this year as MLB is reportedly threatening to discipline teams that do that due to coronavirus protocols.
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