MLB owners sign off on plan to start season July 4th weekend

Gauranteed Rate Field. — (Image credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Major League Baseball is another step closer to starting its 2020 season, but there are still several hurdles to jump.

The league's owners on Monday approved a proposal to kick the season off on Fourth of July weekend, with "Spring Training" re-starting in mid-June, The Associated Press reports. Games would be played at teams' home ball parks — unless medical experts and the government advise a switch to Spring Training stadiums — but without fans. The plan suggests an 82-game season, give or take, with teams playing only their division rivals and their geographic equivalent in the other league (that is, American League East teams will play National League East teams, and so forth). Other changes include a designated hitter in the National League and expanded rosters.

While the owners' approval might seem exciting for baseball fans, the proposal is still dependent on the players' union, which will likely resist any attempts from owners to trim their salaries due to a lack of gate revenue. Beyond money, the union will also likely want to ensure there is a practical coronavirus testing system in place that will protect them and their families. The virus, after all, could easily upend the plan, even if the owners and players strike an agreement. Read more at The Associated Press.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.