New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday afternoon that if there is a baseball season this year, both the Mets and Yankees will prep for it in New York.
Citi Field and Yankee Stadium have never been used for spring training before, as this will be another in a long line of firsts due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This comes on the heels of Friday’s reports that the Philadelphia Phillies., Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers announcing that they would be shutting down their facilities due to COVID concerns.
The Phillies closed their spring training facility in Clearwater, Florida after five players and three staff members tested positive for the Coronavirus.
The Blue Jays shut down their site in Dunedin, Florida after a player showed symptoms consistent with the virus.
The Giants’ facility in Scottsdale, Arizona was closed after one person who had been to the site and one family member exhibited symptoms Thursday.
The Rangers shut down their camp in Surprise, Arizona saying no players or staff had tested positive, but they want to expand COVID-19 testing protocols.
Later on Friday, a USA Today report that claimed all 30 MLB camps in Florida and Arizona will close and undergo a ‘deep cleaning’ was confirmed.
Further, no players will be allowed to report back to camp unless they have tested negative for the virus.
However, there have been no formal announcements by either the Mets or the Yankees at this time.
Justin Toscano of The Record/NorthJersey.com tweeted out the Mets prefer to have spring training in Florida, but the spike in cases in the Sunshine State make it a challenge.
If the season resumes, the Mets will hold spring training at Citi Field. The organization had been leaning toward having it in Port St. Lucie, but coronavirus cases continue rising in Florida.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) June 20, 2020
MMO will continue to update this and other stories surrounding baseball’s decision on a 2020 season, which should (hopefully) be made soon.
