Twins' Garver: MLB only seems concerned about playing, not health risks
Even before MLB announced its plans for an abbreviated 2020 season on Tuesday, multiple teams were reporting that players and staff had tested positive for COVID-19.
This is causing some concern in the mind of Minnesota Twins catcher Mitch Garver. While he's glad to be getting back on the field, Garver is questioning just how seriously MLB is taking the threat of the virus.
"You see the things that are popping up right now around the league," Garver told Dan Hayes of The Athletic. "Teams are starting to show guys that are testing positive. I think you're going to see more when the reports start coming in for every team.
"The main concern is how do you keep most of your team healthy and still focus on baseball? How do you take away the effects of the virus and focus on the actual game? Because a lot of the country has always been worried about the virus and the symptoms you may have and the potential long-lasting effects, but it seems like baseball is just concerned about getting on the field."
Garver's team has not found immunity yet. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Thursday that a "few" players tested positive for coronavirus recently, though he noted they're all doing better in isolation, according to The Canadian Press. Minnesota was the latest team to report positive tests, joining the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Dodgers, among others.
"I don't think this is necessarily a surprise," Falvey said, per Hayes. "It's generally expected that we would run into some cases here and now are planning for how we deal with that. We've had protocols in place for that over the last few weeks.
"I would say I remain cautiously optimistic as we get everyone back together, if we appropriately follow protocols."
Garver has been one of a few Twins players working out at Target Field and told Hayes he felt safe doing that. The strict protocols for the pandemic-shortened season are already in place for players working out at their home stadiums.
Though he stopped short of expressing a fear of playing this year, Garver is concerned that pushing the season through will exacerbate problems in the sport. He's "most worried about" players' families and children, as well as coaches who are more at risk of contracting the virus due to their age.
"When we go through this, God forbid anybody gets sick and has serious problems," Garver said. "But how many positive tests is too much? What if somebody gets hospitalized? What if somebody's family gets hospitalized and they're mentally affected? How easy is it to focus on baseball when you're worried about certain guidelines about what you can and can't do and the potential effects of doing something wrong?"