Despite many fears that 2020 will be the year without baseball, three Major League Baseball officials said the season may be expected to start in late June, and no later than July 2, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Tuesday. The plan is still under consideration but, if implemented, it would amount to at least 100 regular-season games. The plan would also allow for teams to play in their own ballparks, but likely to empty stadiums.
As part of the proposal, MLB is also considering a geographically-segmented division, with three divisions (East, West, Central) and 10 teams per division. This would rid the MLB of the American and National Leagues for the 2020 season.
In the proposed realignment structure, the New York Mets would fall under the East division, playing the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, and Miami Marlins.
In the West division, teams would include the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners. Central division teams would include the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, and Detroit Tigers.
While it’s not the season many fans hoped for, the match-ups could prove to be an entertaining way for fans to get their baseball fix watching from home. It’s unknown whether the first several games of the season will be played in Arizona, Florida, and Texas prior to social distancing regulations set forth. Depending on regulation changes, fans could be in attendance at games by the time the playoffs roll around, but what that structure looks like as of now is to be determined.
