A recent report held that MLB and the players union were discussing the possibility of starting the season in Arizona with games played in empty ballparks, but the latest news coming out of talks between the two sides makes that a near certainty. It also significantly decreases the timeline for baseball’s potential return.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, MLB and the union appear to have the backing of federal public health officials on a plan that could have the season starting as early as May. As far-fetched as that sounds given everything we’ve experienced collectively over the last few weeks, not to mention the logistical hurdles involved, the idea of hunkering down in a centralized location seems like the clearest path to restarting the season relatively quickly.