An announcement is expected soon regarding short-term compensation and other matters surrounding the suspended baseball season.
Opening day was to be Thursday, and in a statement sent out via social media and signed by the Padres' principal owners, the team said it will provide lunch for UCSD Healthcare and San Diego Blood Bank employees. The statement also said "God Bless America" will play at Petco Park at 1:10 p.m., which was the scheduled time for first pitch, "as a symbol of solidarity with our resilient country and all of you during this time of crisis."
Players are expected to get an advance on their salaries as part of an agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association that reportedly assures players service time in 2020 equal to what they earned in 2019 even if there is no season this year. If games are played, salaries would be prorated.
While many in baseball believe the season won't begin until July, there is hope among some that containment of the coronavirus will be at a level that allows games to begin in June, possibly without fans in attendance.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday night spoke about the potential for a shortened season and expanded playoffs as well as the possibility of no season at all.
"My optimistic outlook is that at some point in May we'll be gearing back up," Manfred said in an interview with Scott Van Pelt on ESPN.
He said teams could at that point resume workouts at their home park or at their spring training facilities. Several people in baseball have said the spring training sites are more likely.
Manfred also talked about the possibility of teams playing in empty stadiums, among other contingencies that could help the season start sooner.
"The goal would be to get as many regular season games as possible and think creatively about how we can accomplish that goal," Manfred said. "... The exact number we'll see as reasonable will depend on when we get the go-ahead to play. ... We need to be creative in terms of what the schedule look like, what the postseason format looks like."
He said "we're probably not going to be able to" play 162 games with a regular playoff schedule.
"It does give us the opportunity to do some different things, to experiment and make sure we provide as many games as possible and as entertaining a product as possible."
The MLB schedule has added off days in recent seasons, with 162 games being played in in 186 days. It is possible players will have to allow the playing of more games in a week than the traditional average of six. That would include doubleheaders.
Some players and managers have supported the idea of seven-inning games during doubleheaders. Trying to fit more games in a smaller timeline would require adding players to the roster. The league also seems inclined to reconfigure the playoff format in 2020 to include more teams.
"Nothing is off the table for us," Manfred said. "We are open. We have had some really positive conversations with our Players Association about relaxing some of the rules that govern our schedule. They're very focused on returning to play and playing as many games as possible."
More games means more money for players and owners. For the latter group, maximizing revenue means playing games with fans whenever it is feasible. Teams generally realize about $1 million per game in gate proceeds, more in bigger markets.
"Fans are crucial to the baseball experience as we know it," Manfred said. "... There is also significant economic issues. More than any other sport we're dependent on our gate and our gate-related revenue. Our preference is to have fans in the ballpark as soon as the public health considerations would allow it."
Manfred also acknowledged the lack of guarantee those considerations will allow a 2020 season.
"If it's ... not safe to resume play in alternate sites (and/or) empty stadiums, we have to accept that as a reality. It would be a tremendous hardship. It would be a hardship for our fans. It would be a hardship for our players and, frankly, it would be a huge economic hardship for our owners. It would be a real tragedy."
