A member of the Reds' organization testing positive for coronavirus factored into the Mariners' decisionGETTY IMAGES
Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter is "hopeful" sports, and specifically MLB, will return this year, but he admitted many execs are not sure of when "that's going to happen," according to Betsy Helfand of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. St. Peter said due to the uncertainty around the game, the Twins are "planning for all kinds of contingencies that would contemplate it maybe not happening anytime soon." He stressed the current situation is making sports leagues "think creatively, to be nimble, and try to contemplate different paths toward a return to play" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 3/20). Meanwhile, Rockies Senior VP & GM Jeff Bridich admitted that he has "thought about the possibility of the entire season being canceled." Bridich: "I'd be lying to say that it hasn’t crossed my mind. But there is a lot of time between now and when that decision would have to be made. ... I can’t give any specifics about how much that might have been talked about" (DENVER POST, 3/20).
M'S LATEST TO CLOSE FACILITY: The AP's Tim Booth wrote the Mariners have "shut down their spring training facility" in Peoria, Ariz., and have "told their players to view the coming weeks as though they are in offseason mode" (AP, 3/19). In Seattle, Ryan Divish notes shuttering the complex removed the "last hope of a quick return to normalcy." The Reds hold Spring Training in nearby Goodyear, and the fact that one Reds employee tested positive for coronavirus "also factored into the decision" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/20).
VIRTUAL REALITY: USA TODAY's Steve Gardner notes Strat-O-Matic will be "simulating" the '20 MLB season, "beginning on the schedule's original opening day" of March 26. The board game will use its "unique player ratings and its Baseball Daily game" to play each game that was on the league's original schedule and "unveil the scores, stats and key game highlights" at 2:00pm ET. Fans, former MLBers and members of the media "will be asked to help select the teams' pitching rotations and lineups." Game results will be posted on the game's website and social media platforms (USA TODAY, 3/20).
