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Squinting very hard at the outlines of a “just send everyone to Arizona for the summer” plan for MLB, and I just don’t see how it’s feasible.
Each team would likely need more than 40 players to be on site, so you’re already messing with bedrock CBA principles. More players means more support staff, and adding people adds risk.
Months of separation from family and loved ones is going to be a no go for a lot of guys, and even those willing to stick it out are going to find themselves in a weird mental state as a result. After ten weeks, you don’t think four players are going to sneak away to get out?
There’s no way to properly rehab injuries in that kind of environment. No way every team will have access to the right sort of training facilities. And the monitoring of potential coronavirus infections will mean MLB taking private control over the public health apparatus.
Here’s the one no one cares about: how do they accomodate media? Is the answer no print media at all? If it’s just broadcast crews, are teams paying to put an additional dozen people or so up in sequestered lodging for six months?
If MLBAM seizes control of the broadcasts, are teams going to be refunding chunks of their rights deals while simultaneously losing all of their gate receipts?
Anyway, the Diamondbacks are in the middle of threatening to move unless they get a new, free stadium, and lo and behold Chase Field is suddenly the Noah’s Ark of baseball. Funny how that works.
Oh, a last thing: the extreme cynics among us might point out that MLB is promulgating a solution that could drive a wedge between PA leadership and membership as we approach a CBA negotiation.
