Mike Trout, MLB Stars Rightfully Have Problems With Playing Season Under Quarantine

MLB stars don’t appear so enthralled with the idea of being kept away from their families for months at a time while taking cuts in pay. And who can blame them?

As MLB plots out contingency plans to rescue its season, it is becoming increasingly apparent any return to play will likely happen without fans. One of the most popular ideas is the Arizona Plan, which would would entail MLB playing its entire season in the Grand Canyon State, utilizing Chase Field and the array of Spring Training and college venues in the area. The plan also calls for players to be isolated in hotel rooms, only permitted to travel to and from the stadiums.

On Wednesday, Mike Trout didn’t seem thrilled with the proposal, bringing up the prospect of his pregnant wife going into labor while he’s under league-mandated quarantine. “Being quarantined in a city … it would be difficult for some guys,” said the three-time MVP, via NBC Sports. “What are you going to do with family members? My wife is pregnant. What am I going to do when she goes into labor? Am I going to have to quarantine for two weeks after I come back? Obviously, I can’t miss the birth of our first child.”

Clayton Kershaw, who has a young child himself, expressed similar concerns. “Well, I have two thoughts. One is I think it’s great that we’re trying to figure something out. That’s awesome,” he said, via SportsNet LA. “I will say that situation, I just don’t see that happening. I’m not going to be away from my family and not see them for four and a half months. I just talked about how much Cooper changes over one week, so to miss four months of his life right now, I’m just not going to do it.”

Trout and Kershaw are in a privileged class of baseball players who can afford to go an entire season without pay, which is almost certainly not the case for all members of their players’ union. The question is, would more players rather eschew their salaries and stay with loved ones through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, or leave to stay in a hotel for four months in order to collect paychecks?

It’s obvious what MLB would prefer, since playing a season under quarantine would at least salvage some TV revenue.

Player compensation, of course, is central to any plan about resuming play. While MLB and the MLB Players’ Association agreed last month players would receive prorated salaries for the 2020 campaign — in other words, if 75% of the season is played, they would receive 75% of their salary — the league may ask players to take additional pay cuts, according to the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich. That could impact the MLBPA’s desire to quarantine its members as well.

The White House continues to exert pressure on sports leagues to return, with President Donald Trump lamenting this week he’s tired of watching “14-year-old baseball games.” Trump named several sports owners and commissioners to his vast committee on reopening the U.S., including Roger Goodell, Adam Silver, Rob Manfred, Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, Mark Cuba, Dana White and Vince McMahon. The latter two executives, White and McMahon, have aggressively tried to flout stay-at-home orders in order to keep their organizations going. This week, Florida declared the WWE an “essential business,” leading to questions about the political ties between Gov. Ron DeSantis, President Trump and the McMahon family. Linda McMahon served as the Administrator of Small Business Administration in Trump’s cabinet from 2017-19, and currently sits on a pro-Trump SuperPAC.

White, meanwhile, backed off his intention to stage fights on Native American tribal land in California, but vows to hold a show on May 9.

Even revered infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is proposing ideas about how MLB can potentially resume activities in July, saying people are “dying to see a baseball game.” Fauci also said players would have to be isolated and frequently tested.

Of course, any medically responsible plan for sports to return in the coming months — and perhaps calendar year — involves games being staged without fans. Even Trump, who’s been unwavering in his desire to reopen the economy, says games would first resume in empty arenas and stadiums. (And sorry, Sean Hannity, but eating hot dogs while wearing a face mask does not sound appealing.)

Vacant venues and quarantine villages. For pro sports to return, athletes will likely have to embrace those two unappetizing scenarios. For those who don’t need the pay, it’s easy to see the appeal to staying home.

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