Baseball Players Will Need Spring Training II To Get Ready For 2020

The sudden interruption of 2020 spring training means Major League Baseball will need to call back the troops once a new date for Opening Day is determined.

That date could come by Mothers Day, Memorial Day, or even later – depending upon the damage coronavirus does before its course is spent.

Almost certainly, there will be a Spring Training II since pitchers, catchers, and position players cannot pick up where they left off when the final two weeks of exhibition play were lost. The longer the layoff lingers, the more time players will need to get ready again. And that means the longer it will take to reschedule Opening Day and plan what happens next.

Originally set for March 26, the opening bell was postponed until April 9 when Major League Baseball joined the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association in suspending operations while public health was endangered. But that date seems overly optimistic, with many insiders suggesting May 1, May 10, or even Memorial Day weekend as much more probable.

No matter how many off-days are sacrificed or doubleheaders are added, it seems inconceivable that the entire 162-game schedule will be played. The first positive test for coronavirus in baseball was reported Sunday by a player in the minor-league camp of the New York Yankees in Tampa, Florida. Several NBA players have already been afflicted by the potent bug, which is highly contagious.

Except for the Yankees and San Diego Padres, who voted to stay put and continue workouts and treatments on an informal basis, most players, coaches, and staff left their training sites to be with their families. All sites, including the new Atlanta Braves facility in North Port, Florida, were shuttered after the closure edict was issued Thursday by Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Triggered by the coronavirus crisis, Manfred is negotiating with Tony Clark, executive director of the Players Association, regarding such issues as length of schedule and compensation for players, whose salaries begin on Opening Day but receive only a per diem allowance during spring training. Also to be determined is how the delay will impact player service time, arbitration status, and free agency.

Baseball played a 144-game schedule in 1995, when a lengthy player strike cut into the start of the season, and a 140-game schedule in 1918 and 1919 because of World War I. For most of the 20th century, teams in the two major leagues played 154 games, a total that jumped to 162 with the first wave of expansion in 1961. Teams played 156 games in 1972 and 108 in 1981 because of labor disputes. A novel split season was played in ‘81 after a seven-week player strike started during the campaign.

Even before the current emergency, Manfred and Clark had been talking about reshaping numerous aspects of the Basic Agreement, which expires at the end of the 2021 campaign. New rules, changes in free agency, enlargement of the playoff format, and introduction of the designated hitter to the National League are among the top issues.

Proving prolonged negotiations can produce positive results, pro football solved its labor issues Sunday when the National Football League Players Association approved a 10-year collective bargaining agreement with the league. That pact, which runs through 2030, adds a 17th game to the NFL schedule and expands the playoff structure from 12 to 14 teams – developments that should result in pension increases, better benefits for retired players, and increased media revenue.

At least football has some breathing room, with the start of its season four months away. For baseball, the crisis situation is immediate.

The biggest losers, beyond the fans who eagerly anticipate the return of the game every spring, are stadium employees, including part–time vendors who are paid by the hour. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would compensate his employees for lost wages, while Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he would follow suit.

Baseball owners have been silent on the issue thus far.

“Our primary focus and concern is the safety of our players and staff,” said Brodie Van Wagenen, second-year general manager of the New York Mets, in a media conference call from Port St. Lucie, Florida. “Obviously we’re also concerned about the safety of our fans and everybody that’s part of the Mets and baseball community here.” Players were given the option of staying in camp, heading home, or returning to the home city of their teams.

“We are encouraging people to talk to their families and make sure they’re focusing on their health and safety above and beyond the competition of baseball activities,” Van Wagenen noted. Players who left camps were given written performance plans, similar to those they receive at the end of the regular season.

If they follow those instructions, they are expected to be ready for Spring Training II, which is certainly to include at least a week of exhibition games. But everything depends upon spread of the virus.

If the pandemic lingers longer, baseball could even lose its two big showcase events, the All-Star Game and the annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend. Both are scheduled for July.