[ESPN] MLB suspends spring training, delays Opening Day at least two weeks

Another factor is that the peak for arizona is actually going to be in May... not the best time to be bringing 1000+ new visitors to the area.

This article also highlights the "other" members involved for a plan such as this to work... namely hotel workers... who will have no financial incentive to be sequestered or quarantined for any additional amount of time.

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2020/4/7/21212151/mlb-arizona-bubble-coronavirus-plan

 

If this plan is going to actually happen, mlb could certainly pay enough hotel workers a lot better salary to get them to buy in. Heck many hotel workers make very little so they could be enticed fairly easily. And for the hotel workers they wouldn’t all have to want to do it, just enough to cover for baseball teams. Plenty of out of work employees would sign up for a significant raise over being out of work

I don’t think it “peaking” in Arizona will be a major issue either. If they are truly isolated it won’t matter. Now if Arizona was going through a NYC type of situation then yea all bets would be off at that point, but as long as it is “their peak” but no likelihood of a strain on their hospital and medical staffs in the area it shouldn’t have a huge impact

 

Gets a little messy at that point. Who's covering these workers' health benefits? MLB? The hotels? Who's liable in case somebody gets sick or injured? I presume the hotels need on-site managers, maintenance, technicians... do all of them become in-house?

Honestly the more this plan gets dissected the more it truly seems like they released it to give people something to talk about... MLB had to release an additional statement today that said by no means are they anywhere close to this being an actual viable plan.

If another country is able to pull it off, with full sequestering, then that's the model. Unfortunately the countries that are getting back to normalcy were so ahead of this one in terms of limiting the spread at the onset.

 

Far worse than anticipated is not needing to keep non-essential businesses closed. The worse case scenarios and far worse than anticipated scenarios will likely happen sooner than July.

 

I'm not sure what you're even discussing. If your even-worse case scenarios happen, the season would get cancelled again too and everyone would go home. In either case, there's not really any scenario where players are quarantined in Arizona for 4 months without their families.

 

MLB and mlbpa attorneys and financial guys would have to work all of that out

This isn’t some haphazard plan with all those holes you are thinking of. All these issues and many more have already and will be discussed and negotiated.

Those aren’t the type of issues that would hold up a multi billion dollar industry from putting a plan like this into action

1. testing
2. Mlbpa and owners agreeing to a plan
3. Health officials signing off

They have the money the make all the other stuff work

 

Agree with this

If the nations restaurants and bars and theaters are all still shut down in four months, we will have much bigger problems than most realize right now. At that point we would have a completely crushed economy and mental health emergencies and a massively increasing suicide rate and .......

 

I think you're giving them a little too much credit... MLB themselves today said they haven't worked any of those other contingencies out yet. Also state and local officials have said they have not been given any instructions or guidance towards MLB and their possible future plans.

Like you said, they're a multi billion dollar industry... they can afford to wait and not potentially create new problems when there are already existing unresolved ones... all to try and secure TV money.

 

At this point, MLB should basically take a cue from the NBA and decide not to comment or assess anything till after this month has already passed.

They should discuss options internally but try and hold back any public releases. Within the last hour, there have been multiple news outlets basically decrying this potential plan... which creates quite a bit of fan backlash towards an industry and an overall narrative that they seem to be less focused on the overall functionality of the country and more on their revenue (which we know is not the case... but we also know the power of narratives, especially when directed by baseball writers).

I also have very little faith that MLB, of all the leagues, will be the first of the US leagues to be able to pull this off...

 

Restaurants should be optimizing take-out options and then some now... and even once they re-open, there will be a slow wave of people in metro areas who decide its ok to eat out amongst others.

Theaters are going to be difficult... mainly because studios could see an opportunity to make further initial profits via in-home releases vs having to rely on theater releases. As it is, they've seen dwindling profits in recent years with people having better home theater options/set-ups with better and better streaming capabilities.

 

I never said they would be quarantining in Arizona for 4 months without their families. There are a finite amount of people in the US that can be infected (hopefully immunity lasts more than a month or two). The larger percent of those infected/dead prior to June 1st, the easier it will be to play baseball in July as containment of future breakouts will be easier as there will be less people susceptible to the virus.

 

I’ll just stand by my thought that those wouldn’t be the type of issues that keep something like this from working. If the testing is there and the mlbpa agrees and health officials do too, hard for me to imagine it doesn’t get done cause they couldn’t figure out how to compensate the hotel workers

Also, don’t underestimate how much multi-millionaires and billionaires value not losing multi millions in income if they can avoid it

I don’t know if this will happen or not but it won’t be an accumulation of the smaller issues that keep it from happening. That’s not to say those issues won’t require serious negotiations, but they wouldn’t cause it to not happen

Testing
Mlbpa agreeing
Health officials signing off on it

 

Some NBA leaders have publicly spoke about the finger prick test getting approved as being a key to them getting their season up and running again. NFL is about to have a very different but still high profile draft. None of them are just sitting quietly

 

restaurants are doing that now, but they are just hoping to do enough to survive, they aren’t making a profit. I would guess a lot of them can survive April like this, the 4 month or longer being discussed would put a majority out of business for good.

I’ll defer to you on the theater business, can’t remember last time I went to a movie

 

I have the perfect solution. I call it " The Great Inside the park home run forward"
All teams relocate to Cuba for the season and use their ballparks. Russians love Cuba, This administration loves Putin. We can all make it work for one common goal, the ultimate prize. They have 15 ballparks to be used.
cases of coronavirus in Cuba are 396, 11 deaths. So in reality probably 800 cases, 22 deaths. It can be done.

or give in to the idea that there will be no beisbol. I guess the safety of all of us is a little more important. I'm good with either.

 

I don’t have great knowledge about how viruses work or how doctors and scientists are attacking finding a cure or vaccination

But I do know there is a possibility that this, as a virus, returns next year. I also know that we aren’t really creating a herd immunity to it right now

My guess on the actual medical side of this (taking out sports specifically) is this

All of the flu comparisons in death numbers may end up being fair when all is said and done. What is drastically different is the length of time those who get this have to be in the hospital. That is what puts such a huge strain on hospitals in places like NYC. People are hospitalized for the flu sometimes for one or two days and released. Those hospitalized for this are typically in for a couple of weeks at minimum. I think once we get to the point that over flooding the capacity of hospitals is no longer a huge concern, we see basics of society like restaurants and bars and non essential stores start to open back up

How long that will be I have no idea but hopefully by sometime in May for many parts of the country.

I just know the economy can’t survive for months and months like we are doing it now

I have a friend who lives in Taiwan, most of their businesses shut down there like we have but only for about 3 weeks. They are all back open now but with limits on how many can enter and social distancing rules and so forth. I know it’s impossible to really compare a nation like Taiwan to a nation like ours (just like the Italy comparisons) but I do think when we start to open back up, it will be with restrictions like that

 

The players' association listened to MLB officials explain the concept that’s been batted around for a week on a conference call Monday. They hung up, promised to get feedback, engage again in conversations, and were left wondering how in the world it could possibly work?

The first deal-breaker, before the two sides even start talking about logistical concerns that would fill the Grand Canyon, is money.

The players, by agreeing to sacrifice their health, and willingness to be away from their families for at least four months, would want to be paid their full salary, at least a pro-rated share of their remaining salary for the games missed.

Sorry, two MLB owners told USA TODAY Sports they would never approve any deal if there are no fans without requiring players to take a significant paycut – perhaps as much as 40%. Why, with no fans in the stands, no parking revenue, and no concessions, that wipes out about $4 billion of the $10.7 billion in revenue MLB generated last year.

Owners also stress that their local TV money will be slashed by playing in Phoenix. You can’t have every team playing in prime time. And who wants to stay up until 1 a.m. every night if you’re a fan for an East Coast team, unless you get sadistic pleasure watching your favorite players endure 110-degree heat in the Phoenix summer months?

You’re also talking about the loss of corporate sponsorships, and stadium naming rights considering no games are being played at their ballparks.

 

Rosenthal: Some in government support plan for baseball’s return; obstacles remain

Spoiler

Federal officials imagine a start to the 2020 baseball season in Arizona that might be difficult, if not impossible, for the sport to implement.

Under a plan supported by some leading members of three federal agencies, major leaguers would not sit bunched up together in a dugout but six feet away from each other in the stands, practicing social distancing. They would exist in a sealed environment, moving only between ballparks and hotels. And, perhaps most intriguing from the government’s perspective, they would serve as a model for how the nation could reignite the economy.

The plan, as part of its messaging, even would include players forsaking celebratory high-fives to avoid physical contact and possible transmission of the coronavirus. Games without fans ideally would take place starting in May or June in 10 spring-training parks and Chase Field in Phoenix. But before baseball effectively could proceed under quarantine, it would need to overcome myriad hurdles, including possible concerns raised by both its players and owners, sources say.

As reported by The Athletic on Saturday, the sport is indeed discussing quarantining teams and playing in a centralized location, with Phoenix the preferred choice. But one official described the idea as still in the “concept stage,” adding baseball is reluctant to move quickly. The union, too, is hesitant to offer a premature endorsement, wanting more information on logistics and details, sources said.

Major League Baseball issued the following statement this morning:

“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. 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 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 rising death toll and continued spread of the virus might leave baseball even less likely to play in the weeks and months ahead. An improved outlook nationally, difficult as it might be to envision at this moment, might persuade the sport to adopt a different plan.

Another potentially large obstacle exists as well. If baseball is to be played in empty parks, the sport will generate more limited revenue than under normal conditions – revenue that would come only from television contracts and advanced media, not paid attendance, concessions and parking.

The March 27 agreement between the league and union provides an economic road map for a shortened or canceled season, including plans for how players would be paid. The owners likely would ask the players for salary concessions if part or all of the season is played without fans, sources said. But historically, the union has defended contract guarantees.

Representatives from the union and commissioner’s office spoke about the Arizona plan for less than an hour on Monday and intend to continue discussions this week. If the two sides reach agreement and state and federal government approval is secured, it is unclear if the entire season would take place in Arizona, where the summer heat is oppressive, or if games eventually could be played in other cities as well, locales that would become more viable once the virus is more under control.

Federal officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support the plan, and officials in Arizona are intrigued by the idea of hosting 30 major-league teams and bringing attention and business to their state, sources said. But an official from the Major League Baseball Players Association emphasized that even under potential political pressure, the union will protect the safety and interests of its players.

One idea under discussion is whether the players would be completely isolated in Arizona; their wives and children might be permitted to stay with them in hotels, in the way that families are quarantining together across the country, sources said. The plan might also evolve over time to become less restrictive.

The inclusion of families, however, would require the sport to greatly expand the number of people in its protective bubble – and that number, when including those involved in transportation, lodging, security and television production, already would be in the thousands.

The logistics of isolating such a group would be complicated, to say the least. The level of government cooperation required might extend to the State Department, which would need to approve travel for players flying back into the U.S. from places such as Japan and the Dominican Republic. League officials already have been in contact with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the sole major-league team in the state, about the use of Chase Field and related matters.

Baseball, taking place outdoors and with players generally positioned away from each other, is the logical choice as the first major professional sport to return, proponents of the plan say. The lack of physical contact, compared to basketball and especially football, should make players less vulnerable to the transmission of the coronavirus. People across North America would watch players perform in a controlled environment on local and national television and, in theory, could better understand the lifestyle adjustments they will need to make in the future.

By the time baseball would resume, testing should be readily available, some federal officials say. Players would undergo regular testing to ensure they are not infected during an initial quarantine period, then begin an abbreviated spring training and continue with regular testing thereafter. The union and MLB are discussing the expansion of rosters to as many as 50 players to ensure the easy availability of substitutes, giving teams additional flexibility not only if players became ill, but also for what likely would be a compressed schedule. Protecting players from the virus, however, might be less difficult than protecting older managers and umpires, who might be more vulnerable.

The federal officials backing the plan believe another concern – the potential draining of medical resources from those in greater need – would not be a major obstacle, sources say. All teams employ their own physicians, and the CDC would be quietly involved, establishing practices, providing consultations and perhaps embedding personnel. The infection of one player would not necessarily force an entire team to be quarantined, provided that player had engaged in proper social-distancing practices.

The health considerations, however, would extend beyond players and other club personnel. Hotel workers might be asked to live on-site for a period of time, and wear masks and gloves at all times. The workers, too, would be tested regularly, and avoid direct contact with the baseball contingent.

With meals, the new reality likely would be similar to the practice some eateries restaurants already have adopted – food individually wrapped and left for customers to retrieve without going near any server. Salad bars and buffets available to more than one customer at a time might be less common in the future.

The union would want assurances that baseball and the government would take every possible precaution to prevent players from being in harm’s way. The government officials, however, believe that with the proper measures, the sport can be played as safely as possible. They also believe baseball can play a major role in the country’s restoration, as it did during World War II and after 9-11.

In a nation dealing with so much tragedy and uncertainty, the plan still sounds like a longshot. But for baseball to be played in 2020, there might be no other way.

 

Hell we already have to stay up past midnight for the damn west coast games

I am one of the few who never was upset with moving to the AL, but us being in the “West” is ridiculous

 

So outside of what we have already been discussing

Which teams would benefit most from a huge roster, as big as 50 players?

I do like our young pitching depth, no all of them won’t be successful, but not too many teams have more upside arms I wouldn’t think