Less than a month before players reported to Spring Training, the Arizona Cactus League submitted a formal request to Commissioner Rob Manfred asking for the start of Spring Training to be postponed due to the Covid-19 infection rate in Maricopa County (Twitter link via Brahm Resnick of 12 News in Arizona). The League of Cacti itself does not have the authority to delay the start of Spring Training, but its formal request amounts to a response from the commissioner’s office.
“In the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Cactus League has formed a task force to ensure that our 10 spring training facilities are prepared to host the 2021 spring training season in a safe manner for everyone involved. ”, Executive director Bridget Binsbacher wrote in a letter co-signed by nine other key members of the Cactus League. “We are ready to work with you on the final preparation and the result of the start of the season. … But given the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County – with one of the highest infection rates in the country – we believe it is wise to delay the start of spring training to allow Covid-19’s situation to improve here. “
The county’s appeal, however, does not appear to have an effect on politics unless the players change their position – and on that point they were clear. In response to the letter from the League of Cacti, the MLBPA released your own statement, reiterating his desire (and insistence) to start on time. “Although we have not received any communications directly, the MLBPA is aware of a letter that was distributed today by the Cactus League Association,” the letter begins. He goes on to say, “The letter correctly notes that the MLB does not have the capacity to make that decision unilaterally.”
In negotiating the rules and conditions for the 2021 season, the MLBPA has been firm in its desire to play a full season, which logistically requires a regularly scheduled spring session in most, if not all, scenarios under consideration. For there to be any movement on the part of the players, the owners and the league would have to account for the money that the players would lose by delaying and interrupting the season. This may be the biggest point of advantage for players, and it is not the one they seem willing to give up without considerable concessions from the league. For what it’s worth, the NHL is currently active in Glendale with fans in the stands, notes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Glendale was one of the cities to sign the letter sent to the league.
There are basically two scenarios that can result in delayed spring training. The first would be the local health crisis growing so terribly that health officials demand restrictions that conflict with the league’s ability to open fields. Considering the already terrible nature of the crisis at the moment, this is not considered a particularly likely outcome. The other possibility is for the MLB and MLBPA to decide together that a postponement of the camp is the appropriate course of action.