MLB Commissioner Talks League’s Plans

Today – March 26 – would have been MLB Opening Day. But due to the coronavirus, the start of the 2020 season was postponed. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke about his plans for the league. He wanted to assure fans that at some point, baseball will be back.

Commissioner Manfred’s message

Today, Manfred wrote a letter to MLB fans, filling it with hope.

A letter from the Commissioner to baseball fans on #OpeningDayAtHome. pic.twitter.com/3CEJwDFSIO

— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2020

In his message, he made sure to outline what the league has done during this unprecedented time. That included creating uniform compensation for Minor League players and committing $30 million to ballpark employees.

He ended his message with a sense of optimism, writing that “baseball will continue to be here for you as we face these challenges together as a community, and we look forward to when we can safely get back on the field and hear the words, ‘play ball.'”

ESPN Analyst Jeff Passan noticed this confidence from the commissioner.

“Rob Manfred sounds resilient right now,” Passan said. “He sounds like he not only wants to get baseball back so the business can get started up…but so that the country can find something to look forward to.”

The MLB has been weighing its options for how the 2020 season could potentially look during this uncertain times. Manfred stressed that they will need to get creative with formatting both the regular season and postseason. He also stressed that a 162-game season is highly unlikely.

“Obviously, our fans love a 162-game season and the post season format that we have, but we’re probably not going to be able to do that this year,” Manfred said. “I think that’s clear.”

Finally, Manfred discussed plans for when the 2020 season could potentially begin. Right now, they’re working with the CDC, the World Health Organization and four infectious disease experts.

“[They] are giving us advice on what they think the course of the pandemic is going to be and what the outlook is for returning to a more normal situation,” Manfred said.

Right now, the MLB has no date set for the season to begin.

How to still celebrate Opening Day

The MLB still wants fans to be able to celebrate what would have been Opening Day.

Even though we’re apart, we can come together. #OpeningDayAtHome pic.twitter.com/1x9VCifRje

— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2020

They’re calling it “Opening Day at Home.” Thirty classic MLB games will be streamed all day across various platforms for fans to enjoy.