Here we go again.
After a tumultuous 2020 MLB preseason — and how could it not be tumultuous, with an unprecedented virus flipping our world upside down and causing a myriad of health, financial and schematic issues — the shortened 60-game season finally got underway on July 23. That didn't come until after we heard proposals and reports of a 70-game season, a mandated 50-game season, a commissioner who was "unequivocally" and "100 percent" confident there would be a season, followed by that same commissioner who was "not confident" there would be a season in a matter of days, player opt-outs and much more drama.
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And though much of the unknown has become known — we know a general timeline for coronavirus vaccinations, we know just how quickly it can spread, and we know just how serious cases can be even in the healthiest of individuals — there still remains a part of the equation that is a mystery. Like, when will the 2020 season start? Will fans be allowed and where/to what extent? Will players opt out again if conditions remain as they are now? Will the season be a "normal" one or will it be shortened, delayed, adjusted, etc.?
According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, those unknowns are not yet answered, and the process by which we will eventually come to those answers may not be a smooth or peaceful road.
It starts with whether or not players should report to spring training in February, a schedule which would fit into the "normal" season that we've seen over and over again throughout our lifetimes as baseball fans. But Nightengale says that the league's executives and team owners want the season to be delayed, so that players can be vaccinated before arriving for spring training. On the other hand, however, Nightengale says that the players union wants the season to start on time, "believing it proved a year ago that teams can safely adapt to protocols." This would get them their full 162-game pay, with similar health and safety policies that were enacted last year.
As a reminder, the shortened 2020 season didn't exactly go as planned, with multi-player outbreaks hitting the Marlins, Cardinals and others and seemingly jeopardizing the season each and every time.
Nightengale's gloomy outlook gives us the basic summation of the situation better than I can: "And here we are, with just two months before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for spring training, and no one has any idea what will happen."
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One owner told Nightengale that he expects "significant pressure" for players to get the vaccine before arriving for spring training, a thought that was echoed by another anonymous owner.
“I don’t see any way spring training starts in February," the owner told Nightengale. "Zero chance of that. I don’t care if we play 140 games, 120 games or 80 games, we have to make sure everyone is safe to do this right.’’
Nightengale says that the ideal scenario, then, which would allow players to get the full pay that was promised to them in their contracts, would be to delay and extend the season so that everyone can get vaccinated. David Price, who opted out of the 2020 season, is one player who supports waiting until players can get vaccinated. Still, problems exist in this situation, as Nightengale explains:
The ideal scenario, several players say, would be to delay the season for everyone to be vaccinated, but to extend it a month where a full season can be played with everyone still receiving their full salary. Yet, owners call it unrealistic to play a World Series in late November or December, and that it would still result in massive revenue losses for teams with restricted or no fans.
And so we wait and see what will happen with February fast approaching, without a clue as to when the season will start, how long it will be, what the rules are regarding the postseason format and a universal designated hitter, and more. Get ready for another rollercoaster ride leading into the 2021 campaign.
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