MLB and the MLBPA have "yet to resume talks about a plan to start the season in Arizona with players under quarantine and games taking place in empty parks" since a "brief, initial conversation" on April 6, according to sources cited by Drellich & Rosenthal of THE ATHLETIC. However, the pause in the discussions "should not be confused with a lack of activity." Sources said that both sides are "speaking to medical experts, and MLB continues to investigate the Arizona plan." At one point last week, MLB "signaled to the union it was preparing to move quickly." But a planned call between the league and the union "produced only a basic message: The coronavirus had made the future too uncertain to advance the discussions." The two sides "expect to remain in contact this week, though MLB has yet to bring a specific proposal to its owners." The Arizona plan is "drawing support from some federal officials, and might be the only way for baseball to return" in '20, but it is "fraught with obstacles" (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/14).
UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said that the state "would be open to the idea of hosting all 30 teams" should MLB push forward with the idea. But to that point, Ducey "stressed that Arizona wouldn't be ready to move forward with such an idea until the time is right." Ducey: "I have had discussions with the commissioner of Major League Baseball. ... Arizona, at the right time, is very open-minded to hosting whatever Major League Baseball would like from the state" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/15). In Dallas, Evan Grant notes Rangers manager Chris Woodward believes basing a league in Arizona "would be challenging." He is "not saying it can't be done" or "shouldn't be done." But he is "trying to envision how it could be done safely." Woodward: "It's hard to imagine because there are so many layers involved with getting everybody in one place and safely" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/15).
