MLB Proposes Delaying Opening Day Due to COVID-19

Baseball season is quickly approaching and teams are preparing to report for spring training. Opening Day is set for April 1, but that may change based on some new reports. MLB has proposed postponing the first games of the season by one month due to COVID-19 remaining an issue in the United States.

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the league sent a proposal to the players’ union that includes a 154-game season and starting the season one month later than expected. The season would also be extended by one week and would include an expanded postseason. If accepted, MLB’s proposal would include full pay for all players if the season is played in its entirety.

Brown also reported that the union had not rejected the proposal as of Sunday afternoon. However, accepting the new start date and the shortened schedule “seems unlikely.” The union ended the weekend by advising players to prepare for spring training and the regular season starting on April 1 as planned.

The league said that delaying the start of the season could lessen the impact of the coronavirus. This timeline would provide more time for the distribution of the vaccine among players and personnel. Additionally, the league would potentially be able to ensure that more fans could attend games during the season.

Brown reports that MLB first approached the players’ union about delaying and potentially shortening the season two months ago. The league realized that the pandemic would continue to be an issue entering the 2021 season. Taking the extra steps to delay the season became a potential option.

Before the newest proposal, the players’ union has rejected the idea of expanding the postseason. The union reportedly believes that a larger postseason “de-emphasizes the regular season and therefore disincentivizes competition, particularly as it relates to player compensation.” The union also refused requests for the players to accept anything less than their full salaries in 2021, no matter how many games are played.

In 2020, MLB only played a 60-game season due to the coronavirus and a lengthy delay that disrupted spring training and the traditional schedule. The season did not start until July, leading to the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series. The players who did not opt-out of the season largely remained healthy, but they were paid only a little more than one-third of their salaries for the field’s efforts.