This week, reports emerged that Major League Baseball is hoping to start a modified 2020 season in early July.
The league is currently negotiating with the players’ union, so nothing official has been announced yet. But speaking off the record, baseball officials told reportersthat under the league’s current proposal, the season would begin around July 4th weekend, and, at least initially, games would be held without fans in attendance.
On Tuesday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced that his state will allow professional sports to resume as soon as this weekend.
And in Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker voiced his frustration that negotiations over player salaries could delay an agreement to start this summer's baseball season, saying during a press conference, "I’m disappointed in many ways that players are holding out for these very, very high salaries and payments during a time when I think everybody is sacrificing."
But it’s not all about the money. Players and ballpark staff will also have to weigh significant health concerns if the season starts in July.
Joining The Takeaway to discuss is Andy Martino, a Major League Baseball reporter for SNY.
The Takeaway reached out to Major League Baseball for comment on this story and received this statement, from a recent interview with Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.:
“We’ve been consistent publicly that our return is going to be controlled by safety and the public health considerations that are paramount at this difficult time. But I do want to assure our fans, we are doing everything possible to plan and make sure we’re ready so that we can have baseball in 2020.”
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
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