The clock struck 5 p.m. and no decision was officially levied by the Major League Baseball Players Union. The Union had until that hour to tell Commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners that it would accept a reporting date of July 1 and health and safety protocols.
However the 5 p.m. deadline came and went and nothing was concrete. Jon Heyman and Bob Nigtengale both tweeted out that the players union had no issues with the July 1 reporting date, but a decision on the health and safety plan was still being ironed out.
Of course health and safety is a huge issue right now as the Coronavirus continues to spread like wildfire down South and out West. Texas has seen a rash of COVID-19 cases up about 5,500 according to Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis. Jesse Rodriguez of MSNBC tweeted that hospitals in Miami-Dade County were at max capacity.
Then there was the story that leaked on ESPN around 5 p.m. that two more players and staffers from the Philadelphia Phillies have tested positive for COVID-19.
Obviously the finite situation around COVID-19 is going to play a large role in whether we have a 60-game season or not.
If we do have a season, it will be intriguing to see how games are scheduled. Will we see a strict focus on division games only? And what is the status with the Toronto Blue Jays? Can they play in Canada? According to ESPN, MLB has yet to submit plans to play games in Toronto this year.
The clock is ticking on the 2020 season. Will we have an answer tonight?
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