According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Major League Baseball is expected to suspend the remainder of spring training, in response to the coronavirus.
It is also expected that the start of the regular season will be delayed as well.
After a conference call among owners this afternoon, Major League Baseball is expected to suspend spring training. The league likely will delay the beginning of the regular season as well. At this point, it's a formality that ownership-level sources expect to happen.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 12, 2020
League owners are set to meet on Thursday to come to an agreement on how to move forward. The regular season had been set to begin on March 26th.
According to ESPN:
The Seattle Mariners had already announced that their games would be moved from Seattle through April 1, following the state of Washington’s decision to ban large group events as a response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Spring training games are currently being played, but players have been awaiting a decision. On Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price walked into the team’s facility and said: “It’s gotta happen. This is so much bigger than sports. I’ve got two kids.”
Multiple teams have already pulled scouts off the road and sent them home because of coronavirus concerns, sources say. Others have canceled all travel.
The NCAA had already announced Wednesday afternoon that they will not allow fans to attend tournament games this year. The NBA announced Wednesday evening, after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus, that they were suspending all play until the league could determine formulate a plan for dealing with the virus.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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