Mariners working to relocate 2 series amid COVID-19 outbreak

The Seattle Mariners are working to relocate their season-opening series from T-Mobile Park following Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's ban on mass gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Mariners' season-opening homestand includes a four-game series against the Texas Rangers from March 26-29 and a three-game set versus the Minnesota Twins from March 30 to April 1.

"While we hope to be back to playing baseball in Seattle as soon as possible, the health and safety of our community is the most important consideration," the Mariners said in a statement. "We will provide more information about our plans for the games as it becomes available."

Inslee announced Wednesday that events with crowds of more than 250 people have been banned in three counties - including King County, where Seattle is located - through the end of March.

One potential alternative would see the Mariners' opening games played at their spring training home in Peoria, Arizona. Team executives will meet with the mayor of Peoria on Wednesday to discuss this possibility, according to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report.

Mariners CEO John Stanton said the team's preference is to either play the games in Arizona, or relocate the contests to the Rangers and Twins' home stadiums, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. If the games were played in Arlington and Minnesota, the Mariners would still be the "home team." It's also highly unlikely the games will be played at an empty T-Mobile Park.

Stanton added that a decision is expected within the next two-to-three days.

As of Tuesday, 10 counties in the Seattle area had experienced a combined total at least 267 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 24 deaths related to the virus, according to Joseph O'Sullivan of The Seattle Times.

The ban will have a significant impact on Seattle sports. The XFL's Seattle Dragons announced Wednesday they will play two home games scheduled for later in March without fans present. A portion of the NCAA men's basketball tournament is scheduled to take place in nearby Spokane.

The Rangers also confirmed they're working with MLB on alternate plans for the season-opening series against Seattle. They're scheduled to return home following that series.

The Twins, meanwhile, are scheduled to play their first series of the year in Oakland against the Athletics. Though the city of Oakland hasn't implemented any COVID-19 restrictions yet, neighboring San Francisco announced its own bans of mass gatherings on Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of a Giants-A's exhibition game at Oracle Park.