Calling the suggested protocols, “way over the top,” one president of baseball operations offered a prediction on Major League Baseball’s 67-page draft on health and safety for the 2020 season.
“That document will look way different after the feedback from teams, the Players Association and players,” the executive said.
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The procedures the league outlined are subject to union approval, but the PA is not the only entity offering input. All 30 clubs received the document last Friday and are expected to submit feedback by the end of the week. The league also sent the draft to governors and other officials in every state where major-league teams play, sources say.
The clubs, unlike the players, cannot nix specific provisions. But before making its final presentation to the union, the league expects to incorporate a variety of ideas on how to keep the game as safe as possible. Local governments – state, county or city, depending upon the area – will have their say on how to best operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. And before play can begin, the league also must agree with the union on economics.
Five baseball operations leaders who spoke to The Athletic on Tuesday all indicated that they viewed the document the way the league intended, as a first draft. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to comment publicly, mostly offered pragmatic ideas when discussing how to improve the protocols.
Among the possible changes the executives might propose:
Increased testing
The document calls for on-field personnel and essential personnel to be tested for the virus “multiple times a week.” Angels superstar Mike Trout, however, told ESPN, “I don’t see us playing without testing every day.” One of the executives agreed, saying if the league cannot arrange for daily testing, “maybe we can’t play yet.”
As Andy McCullough and Marc Carig write in The Athletic, “Experts agree that the most important element in avoiding an outbreak will be diagnostic testing. A robust and consistent testing program would allow baseball to identify and isolate infected individuals before the virus can infiltrate the clubhouse, dugout or team plane.”
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Daily testing, however, might not be available by early July, when MLB intends to begin play. The potential drain on public resources is a sensitive topic, and the league is trying to avoid criticism by paying to produce its own tests through the conversion of a lab in Utah it previously used for minor-league drug testing. The league also promises to add to the public supply by making testing available to healthcare workers and first-responders in each home city.
Greater consistency between the protocols when players are at their home facility and when they are away from the park
The players pushed back against the so-called “Arizona Plan,” in which all 30 teams would have played under strict quarantine in the Phoenix area. The league’s current preference is to start the season in as many home parks as possible, giving players more freedom but increasing their risk of exposure to the virus.
The players would face tight restrictions at the field, which one executive likened to a “protective cocoon.” Spitting, high-fiving and using smokeless tobacco or sunflower seeds would be prohibited. Social distancing and wearing masks, except while on the field, would be required.
Away from the field, however, players essentially would be on their own.
The document says players should avoid using any communal areas – restaurants/bars, fitness centers/health clubs, etc. But whether at spring training or during their regular season, they seemingly would be free to move around as they normally would, and teams would face little choice but to trust them to act responsibly.
“That’s why you need an over-abundance of testing,” another executive said. “We should test a ton and then lighten some of the restrictions at the field.”
Fewer restrictions on players at hotels
While players would face no restrictions away from the park at home, they practically would be quarantined on the road.
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“Members of the traveling party may not leave the club’s hotel, and should not congregate in public areas of the hotel, for any reason unless approved in advance by appropriate club personnel,” the league’s document says.
One executive said restricting players in such fashion would be “really difficult to accomplish,” adding that teams should simply encourage them to follow the same practices they do at the park – wearing masks, washing hands frequently, practicing social distancing, etc.
Permission for players to shower at the park
The league’s document discourages showering at club facilities, creating the possibility that players would leave the park in uniform as if they were back in Little League.
The idea apparently is to prevent players from showering in close proximity to one another. One executive said it would be more logical for players to shower in shifts – say, three at a time, depending upon the size of the shower area.
Allowing players to use hydrotherapy pools at club facilities
One executive said this suggested prohibition would be far more problematic than a ban on showers.
“Not having hot and cold therapy will be a problem for players,” the exec said. “It’s such an important part of their maintenance routine.”
Here, too, a simple revision might reflect common sense.
Pools are opening around the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no evidence the virus spreads through water in pools, hot tubs, spas or water play areas, and that proper operation and maintenance, including disinfection with chlorine and bromine, should kill the virus in the water.
Hydrotherapy pools usually are chlorinated, and many of those pools at club facilities are large enough to accommodate several players at a time at safe distances from one another.
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Keeping indoor batting cages open
The league states a preference for teams to conduct as many pre-game activities as possible outdoors, and discourages the use of indoor cages when hitting outside is an option.
In warmer weather, however, air-conditioned indoor cages hold particular appeal. Players can sit in comfortable chairs as they await their turns, and hit off pitching machines.
Teams can move the machines outdoors, but as with showers and hydrotherapy pools, they also could enforce new standards by limiting the number of players in any one area at a given time.
The above suggestions are just some of the ideas clubs might propose, and each would be applicable league-wide. Teams also might make specific recommendations for their own parks, and government officials might further shape plans.
The number of potential revisions means the league’s 67-page proposal is likely to grow even longer, and change considerably. The original draft was a starting point, nothing more. Consider it a living document, subject to continual edits and updates.
Evan Drellich contributed to this story.
(Photo: Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
Ken Rosenthal is the senior baseball writer for The Athletic who has spent nearly 35 years covering the major leagues. In addition, Ken is a broadcaster and regular contributor to Fox Sports' MLB telecasts. He's also won Emmy Awards in 2015 and 2016 for his TV reporting. Follow Ken on Twitter @Ken_Rosenthal
