MLB: Delayed season is a much bigger deal than you think

Most people think that MLB Opening Day is only going to be delayed by two weeks, but the time span will be longer and it creates more effects than you think.

Major League Baseball is delaying Opening Day by at least two weeks as well as canceling spring training games. MLB also announced that spring training will be suspended, meaning that all on-field operations will be suspended.

Players have been given the option to go home to be with their families, go to their major league city and work out there, or stay at the spring training complex which is something the Yankees and Padres decided as a team that they would do.

There are other teams like the Minnesota Twins that have encouraged their players and staff to “head home” with nobody knowing when the season will start, according to Bob Nightengale.

But there are more impacts on the season than just having the season start at least two weeks later than previously scheduled.

First off, there is going to have to be a second spring training after however long this delay goes on because players’ schedules are built so that they will be ready for Opening Day. But now their schedules, especially for the pitchers, is messed up.

Pitchers were ramping up for the season–starters going three to four innings– and now they will have to shut that whole process down and will go with a different plan.

Cardinals manager Mike Schildt is telling his pitchers to “listen to their bodies” and “play catch as they normally would heading into spring training”.

With this delay, the season now won’t start until at least May after the city of Chicago is banning against large gatherings through the month of April. Therefore, the Cubs and White Sox are not going to be able to play their home games until the beginning of May at the earliest.

But Chicago is not what the real issue is going to be, as the longer that this delay goes on then the longer it will take for the players to get ready again in what will be their second phase of Spring Training.

Some players have gone home to be with their families so I would assume that this delay isn’t just going to be two weeks.

Another impact of this delay is a more positive one. The players that have been dealing with injuries and are rehabbing will now get additional time to be at their respective Spring Training complex to get better and will have a better chance of getting back on the field (in the regular season) earlier than expected now.

Another huge impact is if we will have a 162-game season.

And it is a very valid question that is going to be addressed at some point because if this delay goes on for more than two weeks, I think it will be hard for Major League Baseball to continue on with having a full 162-game season along with a full month of postseason play.

But if there is a 162-game season, then Commissioner Manfred could give all 30 teams an expanded roster in order to keep the players healthy after they would’ve had to complete a second Spring Training in a short period of time.

These ideas and impacts in terms of the postponement of MLB Opening Day is going to have a much bigger effect than most people realize.