Throughout baseball’s history, Major League Baseball has dealt with stoppages ranging from union disputes to worldwide conflict. The COVID-19 pandemic achieved something no other conflict ever accomplished, preventing baseball games from being played in April.
As MLB considers options for re-opening, new coronavirus cases for April 29:
Cal. 2,417, highest so far.
AZ 254
FLA 347, second lowest for any day in April.
TEX 883
NY 4,585
Ga. 779
Colorado 442
South Korea, which re-starts baseball next week: 4 new cases reported April 29.— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 1, 2020
The thought of Jacob deGrom trotting out to the mound on his quest for a third straight Cy Young award is simply a dream. New York Mets fans have grown accustomed to their Opening Day success, followed by a solid April to reel in the hope that they will bring home a championship again. All the uncertainty surrounding the country leaves an idea of baseball in jeopardy.
Life Without Baseball
Case numbers vary from state to state, and each state has its ways of moving forward. States like Georgia opened for good, Maryland, and Texas slightly reopened while New York remains wholly shut down. Another key factoid is Canada requires a 14-day quarantine when coming in from another country.
Other teams will not be able to play the Toronto Blue Jays, and even some players are unable to play until laws change. Also, if they returned 14 days before the season, they either risk being unready for baseball after a two-week layoff or risk the consequences of leaving quarantine to stay sharp.
Major League Baseball and its umpires have reached a deal to cover a 2020 pay structure during the coronavirus pandemic, including a 50% cut in May. https://t.co/2Esi7gizZ0
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) May 1, 2020
The Mets 40-man roster contains 11 players from countries outside the U.S., but most of them live in the country. Yoenis Cespedes, Wilson Ramos, and Robinson Cano lead the pack. Edwin Diaz went back to Puerto Rico but is still pitching to live batters whenever he has the opportunity.
Getting players is going to be a tough task to run smoothly. The Utah Jazz was a prime example of what can happen once one player gets the virus. It set a precedent for shutting down sports and made the rest of the leagues realize the dangers the virus poses.
As May is a few days in, it seems more likely that games will resume at some point during 2020. MLB is putting together all the plans they have to make it work, but each different state’s timeline will be a significant hurdle to overcome.