There are a bunch of hurdles still to clear, but it appears we are one step closer to having a Major League Baseball season. The owners reportedly ok'd a proposal to start a modified season as soon as early July. Now the proposal goes to the Players Association, and the pair will go back and forth until something is reached. There a lot of logistical hurdles to clear that stray from the usual 162-game season and postseason format.
Here's a summation of some of the changes this season could feature, if the MLBPA gives the okay:
82-game season: The standard season would essentially be halved, with a June "spring training", but it's not the quantity of games that makes this challenging. Obviously there will be no fans at these games, but the plan is to use home stadiums when possible. If a team resides in a state or area that isn't approved by the local government, there would be a contingency to move those particular games to a neutral site.
Geographic scheduling: This is the most drastic of the changes, one that basically does away with the American and National Leagues for a year. The 82-game schedule will be broken up into games against typical division opponents, plus interleague opponents from the opposite league (so the AL East would play the NL East, the two Central Divisions would play each other and the two West Divisions would play each other). Now, we can get into an argument about how this makes sense, seeing as Miami and Boston are not close to one another, nor is Arlington and Seattle. Alas, this is the format.
Universal DH: The purist baseball fan may want to look away. The universal designated hitter is on its way, and this is the start of it. Given the scheduling structure is strictly geographic instead of by league, baseball would institute a universal DH rule. And if (when) it works, expect it to stay.
Expanded rosters: Remember, if this were a typical year the rosters would have increased from 25 to 26, and the September rosters wouldn't be expanded. Under this scenario, there would be a 30-man roster on gamedays. And since there is very likely not going to be a minor league season, there would be a taxi squad readily available to add another large chunk of players. This will help mitigate the increase in injuries and, of course, the potential that someone tests positive for COVID-19.
Playoff expansion: Ever-expanding it seems, nearly half of the league would make the postseason in this new format, increasing from 10 to 14. So while there will be a handful of teams threatening to crack 55 wins, there will be far more teams hovering around (even below) .500 that will vie for playoff spots.
All of this, of course, is dependent upon the MLBPA clearing everything. All of the above will likely be fine, but a reported 50/50 split of revenues with the owners is apparently a non-starter. Buckle in... this could be a fight to July.
