On Monday afternoon, the players are expected to discuss the possibility of accepting to play 60 games in the 2020 season as the MLB owners want, with prorated salaries, as they desire. However, there is now an element to the negotiations that both parties left out for weeks, and is now taking all the headlines: coronavirus.
The reality is that the COVID-19 element never left. And now, as cases are spiking again in some key states (most notably Florida and Arizona, which is where all spring training camps are located, one thing becomes clearer, told by Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News: the fate of the season won’t be dictated by how many games they play or whether there will be expanded playoffs or a universal DH. It will be dictated by the coronavirus outbreak.
Now, commissioner Rob Manfred and the MLB owners and players are scrambling to create a plan should the disease prevents them from finishing the 2020 season, one that doesn’t even have a date to start as of the moment of writing this piece.
Should MLB keep pursuing a season?
The Florida outbreak is specially concerning. The Yankees kept the doors of the George M. Steinbrenner Field open for more than 100 days, but now, given that the disease appears to be spreading with ease again in Florida, they are packing up to go to New York for a hypothetical second spring training.
The negotiations, which were centered around money for months, are now focused on health and safety, as it should have been the case in the first place. MLB and the union may now be too late to come up with a solution.
After Philadelphia Phillies employees and players tested positive in camp, MLB was put on hold again. USA Today reported that there were 40 positive tests last week among players and staffers.
There were 4,094 confirmed cases on Friday in Florida, and 3,822 the day before. There might not be proper conditions to play baseball anytime soon, but we will see the outcome of Monday’s players meeting.