10:45 PM ET
Jeff PassanESPN
CloseESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports”
Big league Baseballs postseason plan is nearly set, with the approval of the MLB Players Association all thats left standing in between baseball and a bubble, sources informed ESPN.
While questions about when and how families would go into the bubble stay unsettled, a neutral-site playoff format of some variety is anticipated to be settled sometime next week, sources stated.
In the March arrangement in between the parties, MLB was given authority to stage a postseason that imitates the bubbles the NBA and NHL have utilized to protect their gamers and staff from a COVID-19 break out. In order to customize protocols– a crucial to a robust bubble– the players should concur to changes.
Wild-card series– Top 4 seeds in AL and NL would host all games in best-of-three series– Four AL series would run Sept. 29, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 (if needed)– Four NL series would play Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 (if required) Division series– Highest staying NL seed would host in Arlington, Texas– Next-highest NL seed would host in Houston– Highest AL seed would host in San Diego– Next-highest AL seed would host in Los AngelesChampionship series– ALCS would happen in San Diego– NLCS would take place in ArlingtonWorld Series– Would start Oct. 20 in Arlington and end no behind Oct. 28– Pending MLBPA approval, per ESPNs Jeff Passan
When gamers revealed reservations about leaving their families for months at the league and a time balked at the logistical difficulties, cursory bubble conversations in April fell apart.
A bubble with a shorter period is being negotiated between the league and union currently, sources stated. The league does not require the gamers approval to continue with the format, with so much at stake– MLB might gain upward of $1 billion in postseason television earnings– the willing involvement of gamers is seen as a crucial aspect to the sort of limitations the league thinks needed.
Under the plan, the World Series would begin Oct. 20 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and would end no later than Oct. 28. It would culminate a month of playoff games that begins with the leading 4 seeds in each league hosting all the games in a best-of-three wild-card series. The four American League series would run Sept. 29, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, and the National League would play Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.
The greatest remaining seed in the NL would play its division series in Arlington while the next-highest seed would face its challenger at Houstons Minute Maid Park. The front runner from the AL would be the home group at San Diegos Petco Park, while the other series would be held at Los Angeles Dodger Stadium. The AL Championship Series would occur in San Diego and the NLCS in Arlington, giving the NLs front runner– likely the Los Angeles Dodgers– a path to a stationary October.
Concerns from Dodgers players, which were first reported by The Athletic, underscore the gorge in between the sides. Due to the fact that MLB gamers have actually spent the season beyond a bubble– and, in most cases, around their households– the desire of some gamers to continue operating without the limitations of a bubble are being voiced by the union, sources stated.
Still, the possibility of a positive test waylaying the playoffs is palpable enough that MLB is demanding the additional security a bubble notionally supplies. A single favorable coronavirus test can lead to multiple postponements. In a strictly scheduled postseason, with TV network dedications, such a possibility might be ravaging.
And with several positive tests in MLB this season being traced to family members, the leagues position is simple: Either families go through a quarantine period, enter the bubble and live with gamers, or they can concern the host cities but remain socially distanced from gamers throughout the postseason.
Still, the possibility of a favorable test waylaying the playoffs is palpable enough that MLB is firmly insisting on the extra security a bubble notionally supplies. In any bubble scenario, the league would rent out whole hotels, permitting players and their households free rein on the home. Concerns from the NBA and NHL bubbles about the tedium of life inside of them have scared some baseball gamers, sources said. At the exact same time, they recognize the success of the other leagues bubbles– no one has actually checked positive in either– and the possible harm of interfering with a playoff that groups see as essential to help deal with an altered financial landscape. For teams that make the World Series, that might amount to five weeks of bubble life.
The prospect of costs upward of a month separated in hotels still is worrying enough to gamers that including family is a must. In any bubble circumstance, the league would lease entire hotels, permitting gamers and their households free rein on the property. They would not be enabled to leave the hotels except to attend video games.
Concerns from the NBA and NHL bubbles about the tedium of life inside of them have startled some baseball gamers, sources stated. At the same time, they acknowledge the success of the other leagues bubbles– nobody has actually tested favorable in either– and the possible harm of interfering with a playoff that teams view as important to assist handle a modified financial landscape. There is currently fear among some that the free-agent market this winter might be slower than normal; a postseason disrupted by COVID-19 cases could worsen that.
Striking an offer on when and how families enter the bubble is not the only hurdle. MLB likewise has requested for players to quarantine in hotels the final week of the routine season– even teams playing in the house– so they do not require to go through a consumption period before the playoffs, sources said. For teams that make the World Series, that could amount to five weeks of bubble life.
While MLB hasnt suffered a significant break out considering that the St. Louis Cardinals in July that ruined their schedule, the fragility of the regular season– let alone the postseason– is clear. On Friday night, the San Francisco Giants delayed their video game versus the San Diego Padres following a favorable test by someone in the organization. Saturdays video game between the groups will be postponed also, and if the teams follow precedent, theyll sit Sunday, too.
A bubble would in theory help MLB weather any positive tests. The lack of travel days in a common playoff series allows the league to bake in days to suffer prospective positives. A break out, on the other hand, might trigger the league to force a group to play instantly utilizing players from its alternate site, something it didnt finish with the Cardinals or the other team that had a rash of COVID-19 cases, the Miami Marlins.
