According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are “increasingly focused” on a plan that would see teams open training camps next month in Arizona and begin the 2020 season soon after.
Passan reports the plan has the support of high-ranking federal public health officials in the United States who believe the league can safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league intends to have 30 teams fly to Arizona and play in empty stadiums in the Phoenix area, where there are 10 spring training ballparks plus the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field all within roughly 50 miles. The teams would be sequestered in hotels and only be permitted to travel to the stadiums.
Whether the MLB can start play in May will depend on a significant increase in available coronavirus tests, allowing the league to test players without draining the public supply.
Major League Baseball suspended training camps on March 12, while opening day was previously scheduled for March 26.
