2020 MLB Season: Breaking down the three-state ‘idea’

Per reports, there is a radical idea in which baseball would be confined to just three states for the 2020 MLB season. Let’s break it all down.

The world-altering coronavirus seems to be losing steam. Several states have partially re-opened, and several more are set to lift their stay-at-home orders on April 30th. Evidently, state officials feel comfortable enough to jumpstart their state’s rehabilitation processes. As long as these actions are a result of logic and not pressure, citizens have reason for optimism.

Any step in the right direction is promising for Major League Baseball, which had to send all of its players and coaches home just weeks before the 2020 MLB season was set to begin. MLB is as anxious to get underway as any sport, as customary revenue is being lost every day that professional baseball does not happen.

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Ideas have been leaked regarding the return of MLB, including the possibility of splitting teams amongst Arizona and Florida. MLB would execute logistics and gameplay in a similar fashion to spring training, only each game would count. Just recently, Texas was added to the idea, creating a layout in which each state houses 10 teams.

Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays; Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks; and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, would host the bulk of MLB regular-season games. There’s also talk of expanding the Florida hub to Marlins Park in Miami, and the Texas hub to Minute Maid Park in Houston. Marlins Park and Minute Maid Park are roughly four hours away from their “partner” stadium.

It’s important to note that every stadium mentioned has either a fixed roof or retractable roof, meaning baseball can be played anytime, regardless of the weather.

The idea is without a doubt extreme, but “extreme” is necessary given the swift turmoil caused by Covid-19. Major League Baseball needs two things if it wants to accomplish anything close to a full season: (1) control and (2) volume. The combination of control and volume may threaten disaster, but it’s the only way. Dispersing teams in sets of 10 throughout just three states offer control. Surrounding teams with pro-level parks offer volume.

Try to wrap your head around pulling off 162-game 2020 MLB season for 30 teams using only five stadiums. Yeah, that won’t be easy. The layout would emulate a high school tournament in which teams substitute a single field multiple times to maintain flow. A pair of MLB teams would take the field immediately after another game ends. Some matchups would take place early in the morning; others could take place late at night.

It would help if minor league parks were available, though I’m not sure how MLB can include them in the plan without disrupting minor league seasons. Perhaps it would be okay to lift a few minor league clubs from their home to make way for more major league games. After all, all but three – maybe five – MLB teams would be away from their home park if this idea became a reality.

As an example, the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate plays at Dr. Pepper Ballpark, located just an hour from Globe Life Field. The game output of the Texas region could be doubled if using both Globe Life Field and Dr. Pepper Ballpark and tripled if adding Minute Maid Park to the mix. This would save valuable time and stress by loosening schedules and allowing more off days.

The more parks in use, the better. Fans will not be in attendance, so capacity is meaningless. Frankly, players may feel more comfortable playing in a 7,000-seat minor league stadium than a 40,000-seat major league stadium because the vacant space would be less obvious.

As for which teams settle in which location… be patient. Major League Baseball has a ton to sort out before touching that subject. Rob Manfred hesitated to even call the three-state hypothesis a plan, reserving it as more of an ‘idea’ during an interview with Fox Business Network.

Personally, the plan/idea makes good sense. If MLB is intent on playing a full schedule and distancing players for health purposes, the isolation of three hubs might just work.

Of course, there are drawbacks to such random and radical changes. The majority of players and coaches would be away from their families for most of, if not all of the 2020 MLB season. The big-league perks would cut back, as teams would have to share clubhouses, plus the adrenaline sparked by thousands of fans would be sacrificed.

Even the teams that get to stay home would make sacrifices. Do you think the Texas Rangers want to share their brand-new $1.2 billion stadium with other clubs? I don’t think so. They want the masterpiece to their own, not having to swap their clubhouse and share their shiny amenities with foes on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, players, coaches, and organizations as a whole are going to have to “wear it” if they want to play baseball in 2020. Few aspects will be ideal, but all participants will want to get paid, and no team wants to waste a year of possible contention. Heavyweights such as the Dodgers and Yankees want what they’ve come so close to getting in recent years. Sheltered squads like the White Sox and Angels want to prove playoff worthy, and clubs like the Cubs and Cardinals know their championship clock is ticking. Every team has plenty to play for in 2020, no matter the circumstances.

A peculiar 2020 MLB season looms. We may observe baseball in ways we would have never imagined, with unique settings and backdrops, and strings of matchups that only a global catastrophe could manufacture. But what a relief baseball would bring. Here’s to the world shifting back towards normal.