Report: MLB doesn't want to play in empty parks or extend into winter

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Major League Baseball is trying to return to action as soon as possible, but doing so in empty stadiums might be a last resort.

The league has "little to no appetite" for staging games in empty ballparks and also doesn't want to extend a potential postseason into December, a league source told Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated.

MLB suspended Opening Day indefinitely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While commissioner Rob Manfred has stated that mid-May would be an ideal starting point, the growing spread of the virus might make that difficult. Additionally, players have all returned to their homes and would likely need a mini training camp before any regular-season games.

The league believes players would need four weeks of preparation before a resumed season, according to Verducci.

MLB and the players' association are in discussions about how to play the 2020 season amid the pandemic. New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton said Wednesday that "four or five" potential sites for neutral games have been discussed.

"When it comes to scheduling the players, owners we're all on the same page in a lot of these things, just trying to play as many games as we can when we get back," Britton told MLB Network Radio. "If we have to do that in empty stadiums for the safety of the public then that's the right move."