MLB's postseason bubble plan is reportedly a go

Globe Life Field.
(Image credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images))

Major League Baseball is on the bubble train.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday that MLB and the Players Association agreed Monday night on a plan for the 2020 postseason that would seemingly lower the risk of coronavirus outbreaks among the qualified teams.

The so-called bubble doesn't appear quite as extreme as the NBA's Orlando version since there will be travel involved as the playoffs progress — as earlier reports suggested, the first round series will be played at the higher seeds' ballpark, while the American League's division and championship series will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Petco Park in San Diego, and the National League teams will play at Minute Maid Park in Houston and Globe Life Field in Arlington, which will also host the World Series — but it sounds like there will be some strict measures in place.

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While MLB hasn't officially released the details, The New York Post's Joel Sherman reports players on contending teams will have to quarantine at a hotel during the final seven days of the regular season, and there will be daily coronavirus testing. During that time, players' family members can stay with them and will be subject to the same restrictions as the team going forward. If a player's family chooses to join the bubble at a later date, they will be able to do so on the condition that they quarantine for a week in a separate hotel from the team.

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Tim O'Donnell

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.