While the COVID-19 pandemic brought the 2020 baseball season to a grinding halt, recent updates suggest that MLB and the MLBPA are nearly finished negotiating a deal. The plan involves a shortened 60-game season played without fans in attendance. Now that health and safety measures have been greenlit, there is a glimmer of hope for the sports community, despite the ongoing pandemic. Provided everything goes according to plan, the action should resume in roughly a month.
The road to the 2020 MLB season starts on July 1, when players return for training. To get back into game shape, every franchise will play several exhibition matches. It is likely that some foreign athletes will bypass these training sessions and fly into the United States immediately before the season begins. These preparatory games are slated for the first three weeks of July, with the official season likely launching on July 23 or 24. The league intends to conclude the schedule by October or November, and there is a possibility that the World Series will be scrapped. The board is hesitant to push the season into the following year, fearing another mid-season shutdown.
A comprehensive 113-page guidebook has been released to manage the 60-game 2020 MLB season. This document outlines strict health protocols that all staff and players must follow to prevent the spread of the virus. This includes testing every other day and a specific rule for pitchers to use wet rags instead of licking their fingers. While masks are mandatory in the bullpen and dugout, players on the actual field are exempt. Furthermore, public transportation to the stadiums is banned, and all stadium-related commercial facilities will stay closed.
To ensure these measures are actually followed, the MLB and MLBPA have formed a four-person oversight committee. However, the challenge is already apparent, as several teams have reported positive COVID-19 cases among players and staff even before training has begun. Between the drastically reduced schedule and the unprecedented safety rules, this season is bound to be one of the most unusual in baseball history.