Major League Baseball has proposed a one-month delay in starting spring training due to the coronavirus pandemic and pushing back opening day to April 28. Under the plan presented to the players’ union on Friday, the regular season would be cut from 162 games to 154.
Also, the playoffs would be expanded from 10 teams to 14, the designated hitter would extend to the National League for the second straight season and MLB would keep the experimental rules for seven-inning doubleheaders and beginning extra innings with a runner on second base.
All players would report for spring training on March 22, back from the current deadline that calls for a voluntary reporting date of Feb. 17.
Opening day would be pushed back 27 days from its currently scheduled April 1.
The reasoning behind the delay would be to gain time for more vaccinations and better assess the health situation.
Seven teams in each league would make the playoffs, and only the division winner with the best record would receive a bye in the best-of-three first round. There would be a selection show in which the seeded teams would be able to, in order of percentage, select their first-round opponent. The three advancing teams in each league and the one with a bye would advance to the best-of-five Division Series, a la normal tradition.
While the plan says players would receive 100% of pay if all 154 scheduled games are played, Manfred would have an expanded right to stop spring training, the regular season or the post-season under certain conditions. Those would be if government restrictions prevent five or more teams from playing home games even without fans, if government rules restrict travel in the United States, if Manfred determines after consultation with medical experts and the union there is an unreasonable safety risk to players or staff or if the number of regular major leaguers unavailable because of COVID-19 undermines completive integrity.
Players usually are reluctant to agree to split doubleheaders because of the lengthy day at the ballpark each entails (might be time to think of the big picture here). The regular season would be compressed to 154 games in 166 days.
Works Cited:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/report-mlb-proposes-154-game-schedule-expanded-playoffs/