A's Learn MLB Pushes Back Opening Day By 8 Weeks
You can scratch those plans to head out for opening day on April 9.
After a conference call with all 30 club owners and presidents, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Monday morning that the start of the 2020 baseball season has been pushed back eight weeks as the United States deals with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
That’s in line with recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to keep large groups of people from congregating.
“We’re not going to announce an alternate opening day at this point,” Manfred told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the St. Louis Cardinals’ camp in Jupiter, Fla. After the conference call with the powers that be. We’re going to have to see how things develop. I think the commitment of the clubs is to play as many games in 2020 as we can, consistent with the safety of our players and our fans.”
So, it seems that the opener will take place sometime in late May. And that’s subject to change depending on how the pandemic progresses.
As Manfred said, MLB is hoping to have its 30 teams each play as many games as possible. That’s one thing, but completing a 162-game schedule now seems incredibly optimistic.
One thing that hasn’t been addressed yet is whether or not a second round of spring training – or are we going to have to call summer training? – is going to have to take place. When baseball shut down due to labor strife in 1981, teams got together for an abbreviated spring.
One thing that seems almost certain is that some players who were going to start the season on the disabled list will have all the time they need to get ready.
And what plans MLB has for the its staff or players – it seems inevitable that it will happen – who may yet test positive for the novel coronavirus.
Groups on players of some clubs, including the A’s, entered this process thinking they’d stick around the Mesa, Ariz., HoHoKam Stadium and Lew Wolff Training Complex down the street and keep on working out on their own. Manfred is strongly suggesting that’s not what he’d recommend, although facilities are expected to remain open for limited access.
For now, informal workouts under team guidance are not allowed.
“We did agree with the MLBPA that spring training sites would remain open,” Manfred told the paper. “But the thought there is (for things to go on) with a skeleton crew, really to give players some place to use a gym as opposed to being forced out into a public gym. We’re really encouraging players to make a decision where they want to be over an extended period of time and get to that location as soon as possible.”
Manfred also told the paper that players are being urged not to use the facilities in groups.