The 2022 baseball season for the New York Yankees, and the other 29 MLB teams, seems to be getting more and more complicated day by day! As we all know, MLB is in lockdown because the sides in the Collective Bargaining Agreement couldn’t agree on a new contract by the expiration date of December 1 deadline. Those negotiations are ongoing with little progress, endangering the start of spring training that is just over two months away. Now COVID-19 has again caused questions for the start of the season as well.
Many thought that the Coronavirus might be behind us with fans back in the stands at the end of last season. But, in the past few weeks, it has raised its ugly head again. With many states still dealing with the Delta variant, the new South African Omicron variant is fast, if not already becoming the dominant variant in many states, including New York City. The problem with Omicron is that although possibly not as severe, it is far more contagious than the original strain and the Delta variant. This raises questions as to how MLB will respond. We have already seen cancellations in other sports.
We all know that if everyone was fully vaccinated, COVID would surely be less of a problem, but that is not the case. Statistics show that over 90% of those who have died recently were not vaccinated, and those are the people who are spreading all the variants and allowing the virus to create new strains. Even with the new Omicron variant sweeping the country at alarming speed, we don’t know what new variants might crop up before the baseball season is set to start.
For the New York Yankees, the immediate problem is a resolution to the CBA, because the Yankees were almost silent pre-lock-out, they still have much to do to improve the team. The Yankees need to fill the hole at shortstop. They also need a true number two starting pitcher, with the loss of Corey Kluber, help in center field, and a first baseman. How this will all fall out is anyone’s guess. Now with the increasing coronavirus. The new baseball season is now even more questionable.
Now the questions are, will the players and owners come to an agreement in time for spring training to start on time? Will the Yankees be able to fill the holes of need? Finally, how will the COVID-19 virus impact the 2022 season. Stay with EmpireSportMedia.com for all the latest New York Yankee news.