Leaders of the Arizona communities that host spring training have asked Major League Baseball to delay opening camps as planned next month due to the high rate of COVID-19 infections in the Phoenix area.
In a letter to commissioner Rob Manfred released Monday, the mayors, city managers and tribal leaders of the nine Arizona communities that host 15 teams cited the ongoing spread of the coronavirus, with what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists as the highest per capita rate of cases among the 50 states.
“In view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County — with one of the nation’s highest infection rates — we believe it is wise to delay the start of spring training to allow for the COVID-19 situation to improve here,” the letter reads in part.
The officials cite a University of Washington estimate that daily infections in Arizona would drop sharply from 9,712 on Feb. 15 to 3,072 on March 15.
“As leaders charged with protecting public health, and as committed, longtime partners in the spring training industry, we want you to know that we stand united on this point,” the leaders wrote in the letter, which was also signed by the director of the Cactus League.
MLB responded with a statement:
“As we have previously said publicly, we will continue to consult with public health authorities, medical experts, and the Players Association whether any schedule modifications to the announced start of Spring Training and the Championship Season should be made in light of the current COVID-19 environment to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, umpires, MLB employees and other gameday personnel in a sport that plays every day.”
The players union also issued a statement, which read in part:
“While we, of course, share the goals of a safe Spring Training and regular season, MLB has repeatedly assured us that it has instructed its teams to be prepared for an on time start to Spring Training and the Regular Season and we continue to devote all our efforts to making sure that that takes place as safely as possible.”
The other 15 teams train in Florida, including the Rays in Port Charlotte and five in the general Tampa Bay area: the Phillies in Clearwater, Blue Jays in Dunedin, Yankees in Tampa, Pirates in Bradenton and Tigers in Lakeland.
There has been no similar request to league officials from the host communities in Florida, at least to this point.
Charlotte County spokesman Brian Gleason told the Tampa Bay Times in a Jan. 15 email the county “is ready to welcome the TB Rays and their fans to enjoy a safe and wonderful baseball experience in Charlotte County.”
The letter from the Arizona leaders noted that league officials do not have the unilateral authority to delay spring training. The players union also has a say, since pushing back the opening of camps would also impact the regular-season schedule.
The league had previously proposed a delay to the players, but the union declined unless any missed regular-season games were made up on the back end of the schedule or the players were paid for the full 162-game season rather than a prorated amount as they were in 2020.
Beyond the basic health and safety issues, the reasons owners would prefer to delay the start of the regular season would be to have fans — or more fans — in the stands, figuring that will become more likely as vaccines become more available and cases drop.
Manfred’s office told teams on Jan. 11 to prepare to open camps on schedule — Feb. 17 for the Rays — and to play a full 162-game season. Extensive protocols again are expected to be in place.
The league told teams it could host fans for spring games with an approved plan for distancing and stadium operations. Management at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium on Monday announced details and a Feb. 1 on-sale date for tickets to Cardinals and Marlins games, noting “in accordance with health and safety protocols, seating pods will be available in allotments of 2, 4, or 6 and distanced a minimum of 6 feet apart throughout the entire stadium.”
