If you've lost track of where Major League Baseball stands in its quest to have some sort of season amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, I can't blame you. It seems as though a new proposal comes out weekly _ if not daily _ and another just trickled out Tuesday with USA Today's Bob Nightengale reporting on an optimistic plan that would allow teams to play in their own stadiums (albeit with no fans), and in a strange three-division alignment.
I imagine these things leak out for a variety of reasons _ including the self-interest of those leaking the information _ but none bigger than the desire of those involved to be optimistic about the future. It's nice to think about baseball being played in some way, shape or form this summer.
Whether it's realistic is another question. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a New York Times interview Tuesday _ a Q&A specifically about the possible resumption of sports _ that "I would love to be able to have all sports back. But as a health official and a physician and a scientist, I have to say, right now, when you look at the country, we're not ready for that yet. We might be ready, depending upon what the sport is. But right now, we're not."
But it seems pretty clear that no option too far-fetched to be considered by MLB decision-makers. Here is a rundown of what seem to be the most viable and/or discussed plans for an MLB season, along with the benefits, drawbacks and hurdles in each case.
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