Putting all 30 teams in and around Phoenix, Arizona, and playing in empty ballparks was among the ideas discussed by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the players’ association on Monday.
The sides held a telephone call to talk about paths forward for a season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, people familiar with the discussion said.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because no details were announced.
Ideas are still in the early stage and the Arizona option would have many obstacles to overcome, the people said.
Half of the MLB clubs hold spring training in Arizona, the other half in Florida.
Arizona’s advantage is 10 spring training ballparks, plus the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field all within about 80km. Florida’s spring training ballparks are spread by as much as 350km.
“It allows for immediacy of a schedule, where you might be able to begin it and televise it, provide Major League Baseball to America,” said Scott Boras, baseball’s most prominent agent. “I think players are willing to do what’s necessary because I think they understand the importance of baseball for their own livelihoods, and for the interest of our country and providing a necessary product that gives all the people that are isolated enjoyment.”
“It gives them a sense of a return to some normalcy,” Boras added. “You talk to a psychologist about it and they say it’s really good for a culture to have sport and to have a focus like that, where for a few hours a day they can take their minds off the difficult reality of the virus.”
Baseball’s season had been set to start March 26, but spring training was halted on March 12.
After the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended restricting events of more than 50 people for eight weeks, the MLB said it would not open until the middle of next month at the earliest.
Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said that the MLB is examining different options and he did not want to speculate.
“But, obviously, we’d all love to find a way to play, provided we could do safely, and that would be the priority,” Daniels said.
The players’ association would want to survey its members to determine whether they would support such a plan, one of the people said.
“You’re going to be largely separated from your families and you’re going to have to function in a very contained way. It’s not a normal life, this idea,” Boras said. “You’re going to have an identified group of people. You’re going to have a constantly tested group of people and you’re going to have a very limited access of those people to the outside world so that you can assure a very uncontaminated league, if you will, to produce a product that is inspirational to our country.”
Chase Field, with artificial turf and a retractable roof, could be the site of daily triple-headers, Boras said.
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