Chase Field. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Well, MLB also can see the audacious plan has holes.
After ESPN reported Monday night that the league was exploring all 30 teams playing in stadiums around Phoenix for as long as four and a half months, while the players only traveled from the hotel to the ballpark and did not see their families throughout, Major League Baseball said all plans are in their infancy as it seeks a way to play baseball again.
“MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do so,” the league said in a statement Tuesday. “While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. While we continue to interact regularly with governmental and public health officials, we have not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association.”
The plan is just one that is being tossed around, although it might be the most likely in a sea of unlikely ones. The report stated the league hoped to play in May, as it’s following CDC recommendations to shelter in place until mid-May. The report also cited sources stating by that time, the league believed there would be coronavirus testing with quick turnaround times, so players could be tested regularly to ensure outbreaks don’t occur. If it sounds unfeasible and dystopic and foolhardy and inhumane, well, there’s a lot of money at stake for both players and ownership.
“The health and safety of our employees, players, fans and the public at large are paramount, and we are not ready at this time to endorse any particular format for staging games in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the coronavirus,” the league said.