Coronavirus: Manfred says 'nothing's off the table' as MLB hopes to start road to comeback in May
- The start of the MLB season has been put on hold by the COVID-19 crisis and Rob Manfred provided an update on Wednesday.
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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said 'nothing's off the table' as the league gears towards preparing for the season in May amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The start of the 2020 MLB campaign has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has killed at least 21,200 people across the globe.
MLB was initially scheduled to begin on Thursday before cancelling all spring training games earlier this month and postponing Opening Day until at least mid-May.
Manfred provided an update on Wednesday as baseball outlines its plan to return from the postponement.
"The one thing I know for sure is baseball will be back," Manfred told ESPN. "Whenever it's safe to play, we'll be back. Our fans will be back. Our players will be back. And we will be part of the recovery, the healing in this country, from this particular pandemic.
"Look, my optimistic outlook is that at some point in May, we'll be gearing back. We'll have to make a determination, depending what the precise date is, as to how much of a preparation period we need, whether that preparation period is gonna be done in the clubs' home cities or back in Florida and Arizona.
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"Again, I think the goal would be to get as many regular-season games as possible, and think creatively about how we can accomplish that goal."
Manfred added: "Nothing's off the table for us right now. I think we are open, and we've had some really positive conversations with our players' association about relaxing some of the rules that govern our schedule.
"They're very focused on returning to play and playing as many games as possible. And when you have that kind of positive dialogue, it creates an opportunity to do things that are a little different. You're not committed to them over the long term, because this year is a unique circumstance. But there's a lot of ideas out there, and we really are open to all of them."
Published 26 Mar 2020, 11:48 IST