MLB's Plan To Start On Time, Play A Full Season Is Ambitious But Questionable - Forbes

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While the plan is ambitious, its feasibility remains to be seen.

Major League Baseball has told teams to prepare for a full spring training along with a full season that will start on time April 1, per a report from USA Today. Additionally, MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred said in its letter to the 30 clubs that it is planning to have fans attend games, beginning in spring training.

The playing of a full schedule is not a complete surprise.

During last month’s MLB Virtual Winter Meetings – the in-person event was cancelled because of the pandemic – managers from various teams said they were told to prepare as if spring training would start on time in mid-February. A caveat, of course, was that all plans in this ear of Covid-19 are subject to change.

This is a departure from earlier in the offseason, though, when MLB approached the Major League Baseball Players Association about the possibility of a shortened scheduled again in 2021. Teams played 60 regular-season games rather than the normal 162 in 2020.

The MLBPA rejected that proposal out of hand, saying its members expected to play a full season and receive their full salaries after getting a prorated share – 37 percent – of their salaries last year.

Negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA were acrimonious last summer before the sides eventually worked out an agreement over the truncated season. So, at least, the latest news should be considered progress and a sign of hope the sport can avoid a work stoppage in 2022.

The collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players is set to expire at the end of the upcoming season. The rocky talks of last summer led many to believe the sides would be so far apart in CBA negotiations that the ’22 season would not start on time because of a lockout by owners or strike by the players.

Another interesting aspect of the letter MLB sent to its club is that it expects fans to be able to attend games in 2022, beginning with the spring training exhibitions that are set to begin in Florida and Arizona in late February.

All regular-season and most postseason games were played in empty stadiums throughout the 2020 because of coronavirus restrictions. Fans were only able to attend games in the National League Championship Series and World Series, which were played a neutral site at the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Attendance was limited to approximately one quarter of the stadium’s capacity.

Monday’s letter did not detail how many fans would be allowed in the stands. With the cases of the coronavirus continuing to spike throughout much of the United States, though it stands to reason attendance will be capped below far from total capacity.

Spring training games could be problematic because venues in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues are smaller than those used in the regular season. It would be more difficult to social distance in those facilities.

However, MLB believes it can safely have fans sit in “pods” six feet apart while wearing masks. They would also be prohibited from eating and drinking at their seats.

Guidelines for the regular season would mirror those of last October with Arlington. Attendance would be limited, and fans required to wear masks.

The big questions, of course, are when might MLB be able to increase its attendance limits and when could ballparks go back to hosting fans at full capacity.

A lot of factors will go into those decisions, notably the rate of Covid-19 vaccinations across the country and what policies are put in place by states concerning public gatherings.

The biggest factor of all will be the virus itself. The pandemic has reached its 10th month and medical experts still cannot predict what will happen next with any great degree of certainly.

So, while MLB was able to navigate the virus, with some hiccups, to get in a shortened 2020 seasons, it is far too early to tell how the 2021 season will play out.

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