Joe Doyle of SB Nation has reported that agents have been notified that there will not be a 2020 minor-league baseball season.
Major League rosters will be expanded for the condensed season, and that there will be a developmental league based at spring training sites for minor leaguers. It’s unclear whether the developmental league will include all minor-leaguers or only those at higher levels of ball.
It’s not clear at this time about how minor-leaguers will be paid, nor how the developmental league will work.
Right now, the MLB is finalizing a plan to resume spring training in a few weeks for a late June return. The rumored plan is to have three divisions of 10 teams and to play as many games as possible in each team’s home ballpark. Doing this reduces travel and maximizes the schedule.
The schedule is likely to have around 100 games and a possibility of weekly doubleheaders. Players represented by the agents told Doyle that they are “expecting to report in the next three weeks.”
Right now, most parts of Florida and some parts of Arizona are relaxing stay-at-home orders and beginning to reopen. These are the locations where spring training facilities are located.
Doyle also said that an agent told him that the “MLB is clearly following in the footsteps of the NBA in making this happen. They plan on doing so while following social distancing guidelines.”
The NBA facilities are reopening on May 8th in areas where stay-at-home restrictions are being relaxed.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more information.