There’s finally a path ahead toward a 2020 MLB season but more questions still need to be answered. (bnicholsonsmith)
TORONTO – After months of slow-moving negotiations between baseball’s players and owners, there’s finally a path ahead toward a 2020 MLB season. On Monday night, MLB owners voted to put in motion plans for a shortened 60-game season and at long last, a painful back and forth ended without a negotiated agreement.
Now, the focus will shift from the bargaining table to the field — pandemic permitting, that is. For a sport that’s generated headlines for the wrong reasons of late, that’s a good thing. But it’s not quite so simple, either. The recent talks between players and owners will have lasting fallout, and there are still countless logistical questions to be answered as baseball’s return to play plans take shape. At this point, many of these pressing questions don’t have answers. So in the absence of clarity, let’s start by simply identifying some of the many decisions approaching in the coming days and months…1. Are players able to report to camp within seven days?Given that players have consistently pushed for more games, it stands to reason that they’ll be willing to report within a week. If and when MLB gets clarity on that front, schedule-makers can start planning for the shortest season in baseball history. Then, we’ll see a 60-game sprint to the finish this summer. The health and safety questions are far more complex, but if players approve the suggested protocols, they’ll be expected in spring training on July 1 with regular season games beginning later in the month.For 29 teams, the answer to this question seems relatively simple. The rise of COVID-19 cases in Florida and Arizona coupled with the arrival of warm summer weather means every American team can prepare for the season from their home stadiums. For the Blue Jays, it’s not so simple. While they’d prefer to play their regular season home games in Toronto this year, the federal government has restrictions in place due to the pandemic, and non-essential travel is not permitted between Canada and the U.S. until July 21 at the earliest. In theory, an exemption of some kind could allow the Blue Jays to train out of Rogers Centre, but that would require swift government action since players will likely be due to report to spring training next week. Alternatively, the Blue Jays could return to Dunedin, Fla. and resume their preparation there, but their spring facility closed last week after a player showed symptoms consistent with the virus. At this point, it’s unclear how soon the facility will be safe again. In the meantime, the Blue Jays are believed to be working through their options with no clear answer yet established. Either way, they’ll have to make a decision soon so players can book flights and find accommodations.While nothing can be finalized until players sign off on a start date, Marc Topkin of thethat MLB plans to limit travel by having teams play within their own divisions and the corresponding geographic division in the other league.Ben Nicholson-Smith is Sportsnet’s baseball editor. Arden Zwelling is a senior writer. Together, they bring you the most in-depth Blue Jays podcast in the league, covering off all the latest news with opinion and analysis, as well as interviews with other insiders and team members.
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