COVID-19 impact on MLB season

[LouisEly]

I don't understand why they would have to quarantine. The assumption is built in that this would be done with frequent testing and removing anyone that gets infected. Obviously they would have to be smart about social distancing and avoid any rapid spreading of the virus, but I don't think the idea is that there would be some sort of quarantined group of MLB players and support staff.

 

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29008797/players-managers-intrigued-mlb-all-arizona-option

 

"What is the rule if a player's wife is giving birth or if he has a sick parent, spouse or child? Would he be allowed to leave? If so, would he be quarantined upon his return?"

 

""Just jump in and trust that we may not know when we'll reconnect with our families and trust that when health officials decide it's OK, we'll be able to do that," Matheny said. "But in the meantime, do something that would really help the healing process."

 

"I don't know if I could look at my kids just through a screen for four or five months. Same thing goes with my wife," the pitcher said Tuesday. "That's a long time. But people have done it in harsh scenarios, I guess. I think there's a lot of figuring out to do."

 

There are other players that have expressed a lot of uncertainty about this plan.

Why can't the player's family live with them? Give them two hotel rooms that are connected with a door, yank the beds out of one and turn it into a living room. Hell, give them three rooms. Or rent a condo/house and have food delivered to the family so they don't have to go to the grocery store. If the player needs to leave for family reasons, just test him before he comes back. How many times does that happen in a regular season, much less a shortened season?

 

If it's that or no paycheck, guys will start making sacrifices for six/seven digits.

[mtrebs]

So, is the 14-day quarantine that people currently do done because there aren’t tests available? Or does it just take that up to that long to become positive after coming in contact with COVID-19?

 

There have been questions about why the need to quarantine if tests are available. Does this mean that if a person is exposed to COVID-19 and immediately take the test, it will know if the person will be positive? It seems like there’d need to be some sort of period of time before it would show up. That’s what I thought the 14 days were for.

[DuWayne Steurer]

It can take up to 14 days to be symptomatic. I don't know how soon it will show up in a test. I'm sure that information is out there.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Likely that testing still has to get better too. There are 70+ cases in my Iowa county. That's double what it was just a week ago. Yet, my county is also reporting 47 "recovered" patients that are included as part of that 70+ number.

 

Basically, at least some of those 47 are finding out about positive tests very near the time they have already recovered.

 

That is anecdotal, but it mirrors reports I have seen elsewhere. Two week processing times have not been uncommon. That cannot happen if this MLB plan is going to be at all feasible. You need good, fast testing basically universally available. Otherwise, you either won't be quick enough, or you'll be giving MLB players access to testing others, including more vulnerable groups don't have, and that seems ethically untenable.

[mtrebs]

It can take up to 14 days to be symptomatic. I don't know how soon it will show up in a test. I'm sure that information is out there.

 

Where I was trying to go with that post is I’d think if a person on the team tested positive, I’d think there’d still need to be some type of quarantine, unless there is a test that can identify right away.

[DuWayne Steurer]

It can take up to 14 days to be symptomatic. I don't know how soon it will show up in a test. I'm sure that information is out there.

 

Where I was trying to go with that post is I’d think if a person on the team tested positive, I’d think there’d still need to be some type of quarantine, unless there is a test that can identify right away.

 

Right. If someone test positive, there's a good chance they've already been in contact with multiple teammates or support staff. In which case they have to quarantine an entire team until a point that they'd be able to test those people as well which would mess up an entire several days worth of schedule. Also, as Cool Hand Lucroy pointed out there's the ethical issue of using tests to keep teams on the field until these things are widely available for the General Public.

[Ennder]

So, is the 14-day quarantine that people currently do done because there aren’t tests available? Or does it just take that up to that long to become positive after coming in contact with COVID-19?

 

There have been questions about why the need to quarantine if tests are available. Does this mean that if a person is exposed to COVID-19 and immediately take the test, it will know if the person will be positive? It seems like there’d need to be some sort of period of time before it would show up. That’s what I thought the 14 days were for.

 

It is a mixture of both but lack of testing definitely plays a role. I know there were a lot of Detroit first responders who were stuck in quarantine, they were sent a bunch of the new 15 minute tests and they released like 2/3rds of them to go back to work afterwards. I don't know which day in their quarantine it was but it wasn't the full time.

[et bbal]

Saw today that they are considering realigning for the year and playing a cactus league and a grapefruit league. Each consisting of 5 divisions. Never leave spring training sites. My first thought is how do you play baseball with fifteen teams. I suppose since everybody is located near each other you could do away with the traditional 3 (or 4) game series, and just play an opponent 1 game and move on to the next opponent.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/10/mlb-realignment-league-considers-radical-move-for-2020-season/5128935002/

[JackNicholson1974]

Brewers division looks weak. They could win that division. Its a super interesting concept. I dont think it happens though due to the day time heat in AZ unless all games outside of Chase field are at night? But Im not an Arizona weather expert so correct me if I am wrong.

 

Also, can fans come to the games? If Brewer fans are traveling to AZ to watch baseball and then spread the virus doesnt this defeat the purpose?

[DuWayne Steurer]

It specifically said no fans.

[TURBO]

Wonder if they would DH both leagues, providing a great bridge to permanently adding the DH to the NL in 2021?

[adambr2]

Wonder if they would DH both leagues, providing a great bridge to permanently adding the DH to the NL in 2021?

 

Yes, almost certainly. I wouldn't be surprised if that gets implemented just for the year no matter what proposal wins out.

[nate82]

Wonder if they would DH both leagues, providing a great bridge to permanently adding the DH to the NL in 2021?

 

Yes, almost certainly. I wouldn't be surprised if that gets implemented just for the year no matter what proposal wins out.

 

I believe it would become permanent if this happens.

[owbc]

Saw today that they are considering realigning for the year and playing a cactus league and a grapefruit league. Each consisting of 5 divisions. Never leave spring training sites. My first thought is how do you play baseball with fifteen teams. I suppose since everybody is located near each other you could do away with the traditional 3 (or 4) game series, and just play an opponent 1 game and move on to the next opponent.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/10/mlb-realignment-league-considers-radical-move-for-2020-season/5128935002/

 

Why risk spreading the virus more than you have to? Series should be longer, not shorter.

[BuckyBrewer61]

In theory, theory and reality are the same. In reality, they are not.

 

It's fun to think about ways to play and watch baseball in 2020, and the theoretical solutions make some sense. But in reality, as long as major precautions remain in place across the country and world, Major League Baseball will not be played in 2020.

 

Yes some players make a ton of money and might be motivated to play. But the umpires, training staff, cleaning crews, grounds crews, clubhouse staff, scoreboard operators, security staff, bullpen catchers, media members, hotel staff, minor leaguers needing to be available but with no games to play, etc etc etc sure don't. Even at bare bones, this is a huge undertaking requiring a ton of people that don't get paid like an MLB baseball player.

 

They will certainly try, there is a lot of money at stake, and I would love it if they were successful. But even IF they could figure out all the logistics, the league will inevitably go the way of the NBA. Somebody, somewhere will get sick and test positive. Maybe a player, maybe an announcer, maybe a janitor. And then what? Sequester that whole team for 2 weeks while the rest keep playing? What happens if god forbid even ONE person in connection with the league ends up in the hospital, on a ventilator or dies...aside from obviously being terrible for that person and their family, it would be a PR nightmare.

 

As much we all love baseball and recognize it's significance and importance as more than just a game, it is not essential. One positive test and the season is over.

 

I want it as bad as all of you, but until something major happens (vaccine, reliable effective treatment, virus prevalence markedly decreases) and the restrictions are lifted for everyone...baseball isn't happening. Let's hope one of those things happen ASAP, because then some of this might become possible.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

In theory, theory and reality are the same. In reality, they are not.

 

It's fun to think about ways to play and watch baseball in 2020, and the theoretical solutions make some sense. But in reality, as long as major precautions remain in place across the country and world, Major League Baseball will not be played in 2020.

 

Yes some players make a ton of money and might be motivated to play. But the umpires, training staff, cleaning crews, grounds crews, clubhouse staff, scoreboard operators, security staff, bullpen catchers, media members, hotel staff, minor leaguers needing to be available but with no games to play, etc etc etc sure don't. Even at bare bones, this is a huge undertaking requiring a ton of people that don't get paid like an MLB baseball player.

 

They will certainly try, there is a lot of money at stake, and I would love it if they were successful. But even IF they could figure out all the logistics, the league will inevitably go the way of the NBA. Somebody, somewhere will get sick and test positive. Maybe a player, maybe an announcer, maybe a janitor. And then what? Sequester that whole team for 2 weeks while the rest keep playing? What happens if god forbid even ONE person in connection with the league ends up in the hospital, on a ventilator or dies...aside from obviously being terrible for that person and their family, it would be a PR nightmare.

 

As much we all love baseball and recognize it's significance and importance as more than just a game, it is not essential. One positive test and the season is over.

 

I want it as bad as all of you, but until something major happens (vaccine, reliable effective treatment, virus prevalence markedly decreases) and the restrictions are lifted for everyone...baseball isn't happening. Let's hope one of those things happen ASAP, because then some of this might become possible.

 

I agree with this nearly 100 percent as things stand right now.

 

The caveat is that how things are on April 10th is not how things will be on May10th. Things could be worse. But it's more likely they are better, especially assuming social distancing remains in place for another 3 weeks at least.

 

The difficult part of this is that it cannot be a binary. You cannot have total social distancing or no social distancing as a paradigm here. At some point, we will need to do SOME social distancing. The question is whether or not baseball can be part of the some. That is what makes this proposal worthwhile from my perspective. It isn't even about wanting baseball as much as it is about asking the question: what happens after the peak but before the availability of a viable treatment/vaccine?

 

Baseball and other sports are, in my view, helping when they talk about that question. As I see it, we should all be talking about it a lot more.

[pacopete4]

If they go with those divisions, we'll be in the playoffs again. There's a positive.

[BuckyBrewer61]

It isn't even about wanting baseball as much as it is about asking the question: what happens after the peak but before the availability of a viable treatment/vaccine

 

Yep, this is the million dollar question. Hopefully there will be a better answer in a month or so, and hopefully that answer does open the door to baseball and more. I’m not overly optimistic, but I very much hope I’m wrong!

[Ennder]

In theory, theory and reality are the same. In reality, they are not.

 

It's fun to think about ways to play and watch baseball in 2020, and the theoretical solutions make some sense. But in reality, as long as major precautions remain in place across the country and world, Major League Baseball will not be played in 2020.

 

You have this backwards though. The reality is baseball is almost certainly going to be played. The country is opening up in May whether people like it or not. It is just a matter of when in May. Korea is already back to playing baseball, Germany is ramping up to start its soccer season. It is much more likely that MLB happens than does not happen. They will have to take proper precautions and they shouldn't start until late May or early June but it is most likely going to happen. That is just the reality of what we see going around the world right now, not the theory that everything is going to be shut down until a vaccine comes online, that just isn't likely at all.

 

Whether fans will be part of this and how many is certainly up for debate though.

[BuckyBrewer61]

Neither the KBO nor German soccer have started yet, but yes both are ramping up to attempt to do so. I definitely hope it works out, and if so you are absolutely correct that MLB will follow suit.

 

The big question will be if (when?) someone in one of these leagues tests positive during the season, what then? Hopefully there will be a reasonable answer in the near future.

[et bbal]

Saw today that they are considering realigning for the year and playing a cactus league and a grapefruit league. Each consisting of 5 divisions. Never leave spring training sites. My first thought is how do you play baseball with fifteen teams. I suppose since everybody is located near each other you could do away with the traditional 3 (or 4) game series, and just play an opponent 1 game and move on to the next opponent.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/10/mlb-realignment-league-considers-radical-move-for-2020-season/5128935002/

 

Why risk spreading the virus more than you have to? Series should be longer, not shorter.

 

But how are you going to do this with 15 teams? Do you have a team off for 3 or 4 days because the other 14 teams are playing a series?

[Vgmastr]

MLB Players are doing a league in the Show. Each team is represented by one player, for the Crew it will be Hader. 29-game season, one game against each team, three-inning games, streaming live each night at 8, starting tonight. Hader's first games are on Monday. It least it's kind of like baseball.

 

https://www.mlb.com/playersleague

[folly412]

Saw today that they are considering realigning for the year and playing a cactus league and a grapefruit league. Each consisting of 5 divisions. Never leave spring training sites. My first thought is how do you play baseball with fifteen teams. I suppose since everybody is located near each other you could do away with the traditional 3 (or 4) game series, and just play an opponent 1 game and move on to the next opponent.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/10/mlb-realignment-league-considers-radical-move-for-2020-season/5128935002/

 

Why risk spreading the virus more than you have to? Series should be longer, not shorter.

 

But how are you going to do this with 15 teams? Do you have a team off for 3 or 4 days because the other 14 teams are playing a series?

 

 

It can be done by staggering the series start/ends. It's pretty janky since it will require series to be atypical lengths; may have a one game set and 5-6 games. Off days will also be all over the place instead of always Monday or Thursday like they usually schedule.

 

 

I think this division would be fun for four months.

NORTHWEST: Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Seems like a lot of players dont view this as logistically feasible.

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29017716/too-much-iron-players-say-mlb-arizona-plan

[NYChez]

Perhaps it would make sense to experiment at first with a couple weeks of minor league games. It could be done on a volunteer basis, so players or at-risk coaches concerned about leaving their families could not feel the pressure to participate. See what works and what doesn’t and then proceed with MLB games.