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SALT LAKE CITY — There will be a 2020 season across Minor League Baseball, from Triple A like the Salt Lake Bees to short-season rookie league teams like the Ogden Raptors and Orem Owlz.
Or maybe not.
It’s still too early to tell.
Minor League Baseball released a statement late Wednesday after a day filled with various reports, rumors and suspicions that the current season will not be played in its traditional form as a result of the novel coronavirus.
Those reports are untrue, the league office said. But when will the season, which was suspended indefinitely with a March 12 announcement, begin?
That’s anybody’s guess.
“The report circulating tonight that the 2020 Minor League Baseball season has been canceled is false,” the association said in a statement. “Minor League Baseball has confirmed with Major League Baseball that no such statement was made.
“No decision has been made as to when it will be safe to begin the 2020 season.”
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 29, 2020
The response stems from a report first issued by Lookout Landing, a Seattle Mariners community on Vox Media-owned SB Nation. The report cited “multiple agents representing minor league players” who allegedly have been told that no 2020 season will be played.
In its place, MiLB players will participate in a developmental league played out at spring training sites. Major League Baseball rosters would also be expanded, according to the report.
“In this political climate starving for businesses to re-open, it was a matter of time,” one anonymous agent told the website. “MLB is clearly following in the footsteps of the NBA in making this happen. They plan on doing so while following social distancing guidelines.”
Major League Soccer has already said that it is “extremely unlikely” that the current season will resume by mid-May, as had been originally detailed, and the National Women’s Soccer League has pushed back the start of its season until at least June.
The NBA hasn’t resumed its season since it suspended operations following Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s positive test for COVID-19, and players won’t be allowed in team training facilities until at least May 8.
But the season that could be hurt the most by cancellations related to the pandemic could be baseball. MLB pushed back Opening Day, and even canceled some spring training festivities, as a result of COVID-19, and MiLB quickly followed suit.
This all happened as the team leagues are currently in negotiations about a new affiliation agreement that could cut as 40 teams from the minors. Among those in the agreement's crosshairs are the Raptors, Owlz and the rest of the Pioneer League.
