Bob Nightengale reported that major-league baseball teams will likely use home ballparks for a second spring training. This would be in place of going to normal spring sites in Florida or Arizona.
The plan has a lot of advantages but doesn’t lack drawbacks. Teams wouldn’t have to spend as much by staying put, and the season would also start a bit sooner. However, there isn’t the option to use multiple fields like at normal spring sites. The entire organization would be condensed to the major league park.
Nightengale also reported that the MLB is working to reach an agreement with the umpires union. Some veteran umpires that make close to half a million dollars a year my end up taking a salary cut. It would be difficult to cut the salaries of all umpires because young umpires can’t afford a significant pay cut. And, it’s also very likely that players and top executives take pay cuts.
While a lot of sports have a lot of confusion about restarting, the MLB seems to have the clearest plan about getting going. They will be the first of three major in-season sports to resume. The NBA and NHL are in funky spots since those sports have more contact and are in the thick of their seasons. The PGA Tour and NASCAR have plans to restart in the coming weeks, but it’s relatively easy to social distance in those sports. The UFC is working on a restart, and the WNBA has suspended training camp, which was supposed to begin on April 26th.
We’re learning more and more by the day about the MLB restart plan, and hopefully, we’ll know some set dates soon.