The MLB have been experimenting with many different scenarios to get as close to a full season as possible in 2020.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the regular six month MLB schedule was thrown off, but commissioner Rob Manfred has worked diligently to try to find a way to keep the 2020 season alive, in an altered way. The plan has changed a bit, however. The original plan was to start in June and play double headers at regular stadiums, but Manfred has kept working, saying that no plan is off the table. 

First off, the MLB’s most discussed plan is to play its season with two different leagues, the Grapefruit League, and the Cactus League, its spring training leagues, instead of the American and National leagues. The plan creates temporary divisions based on location in Florida and Arizona, and games will be played in each team’s spring training facility. No fans would be allowed at these games, masks would be mandatory to wear, and players would sit in the stands with a social distance between each other, instead of sitting in a dugout. On top of this, the plan was said to seclude the players from being anywhere but the ballpark. They would be required to go straight back to their living space after games and to not leave until the next game, which was not favored by the MLB Players Association. 

Another plan that Manfred is looking into is moving the league to Japan for the season. Japan’s coronavirus numbers are much more controlled, and are actually falling. Their own baseball league, the Nippon Professional Baseball League, is actually set to start their season in a few weeks. Moving the MLB here would ensure a safer environment for players and their families, and give the fans back in the states a near full season of games to watch on TV. 

Finally, it is very realistic to see the MLB simply wait this one out, and not have any games at all until it is completely safe. Whether that be in May, June, July or not at all in 2020, the league simply waiting the pandemic out is very much a likely outcome as well.