The negotiations for a 2020 MLB season have stopped and turned into a full-blown war of words, but all signs point to there being baseball games this summer.
Well, maybe not one sign. A potentially enormous stop sign.
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in Texas, California, Arizona and Washington, four of the five states where the Texas Rangers would play in a 2020 MLB season.
The same is happening in Florida, home to the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins and where teams in northern hot zones would conduct spring training and initially host regular-season games. Arizona could also be the spring and early season home for the five California teams and Seattle, and, of course, is home to the Diamondbacks.
Of the West division states in the American League and National League, only Colorado has not seen an increase in cases as states reopen their economies from mandatory shelter-in-place ordinances and in the wake of mass protests in major U.S. cities after the death of George Floyd.
While the players and owners can't resolve the financial differences, they were resolute at the beginning of negotiations that safety was the No. 1 priority. The sides are close on agreeing to health protocols for a season, but haven't crossed the finish line.
Spring training was canceled and the season was postponed indefinitely in March after President Trump declared a national emergency amid the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. More than 115,000 Americans have died because of COVID-19, most of them elderly or with underlying health conditions.
While ballplayers are young and fit, some have underlying conditions and are likely to be given the chance to opt out of playing this season. Rangers right-hander Kyle Gibson, who has been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, is one of them.
Also, some umpires and club personnel are though to be at higher risk.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a pandemic adviser to the White House and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases isn't necessarily the dreaded second wave. The second COVID-19 wave, he said, could be avoided with proper protocols.
MLB fears a second wave canceling the postseason, which is the biggest cash cow available to club owners with fans not expected to be able to attend games. The owners want a shorter season for a few reasons, but at the top of the list is ensure the postseason is completed so that every last dollar from the national TV contract can be theirs.
The MLB Players Association on Saturday issued a statement that it would no longer negotiate after received a third offer from the owners that did not offer players their full pro-rated salaries, and told MLB to set the schedule.
The owners held a conference call Monday to discuss their next move. According to reports, they decided to first reach agreement with the players on the health protocols before moving on to scheduling the season.
