Major League Baseball has reportedly informed local television and radio stations that if a season is played this year, broadcasters will not be allowed to travel to cover their team’s road games. The announcers will instead do all away game broadcasts remotely, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
Levine is a baseball analyst for the Chicago-based radio station. He reports that announcers will broadcast all road games this year either from studios located in each network’s home city or home ballpark while using video monitors to call the action. The plan would only go into effect if MLB and its players’ union are able to come to an agreement to begin play this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that MLBPA has proposed a 114-game season in which players would receive full prorated portions of their salaries. Passan’s latest report indicates that MLB is unlikely to meet those demands and instead is considering making a counterproposal to its union that would see players receive their full prorated salaries over a 50-game season. Both plans hope to start games in July, but Passan does not specify where those games would be played.
Since resuming its baseball season in the first week of May, South Korea’s KBO League has broadcasted live on ESPN. Those TV broadcasts are done remotely with ESPN talent calling games from their own homes.
