Major League Baseball will be suspending activity until further notice. This announcement comes on the heels of the NBA suspending all games after two players tested positive for Coronavirus on Wednesday night. This will also likely delay the beginning of the 2020 baseball season as well. Reporter Jeff Passan was the first to report on this decision this afternoon.
After a conference call among owners this afternoon, Major League Baseball is expected to suspend spring training. The league likely will delay the beginning of the regular season as well. At this point, it’s a formality that ownership-level sources expect to happen.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 12, 2020
Spring Training Suspended
Yesterday, the Washington State governor Jay Inslee banned large gatherings, including Seattle Mariners games. This left the franchise scrambling to possibly find a place to play their home games for the foreseeable future. Today, Major League Baseball decided to suspend the remainder of Spring Training in both Florida and Arizona. This move is unprecedented as the MLB has not made a suspension of play of this magnitude since the 1994 player strike ended the season early with no World Series.
This decision also comes after several teams on the west coast were trying to find alternatives for home games after large gatherings were banned in their respective states. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has yet to comment on the situation, but we can expect his take on this matter within hours. This offseason has been very busy, especially with the cheating scandal. This is obviously a more serious matter, as MLB officials are working toward a solution.
As of now, several teams have suspended Opening Day activities in light of the situation. Most notable was possibly the Cincinnati Reds decision to cancel their yearly Opening Day parade, a 101-year tradition in the Queen City. Because of the risk, the league may suspend the beginning of the year. Teams will have to play this by ear and do not know when play will resume. There will be more information to come regarding the issue in the future.
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