Major League Baseball and its players are willing to pull out a number of stops to get as close as possible to a full 162-game season in 2020.
To make up for lost games, league owners and players are discussing options including multiple doubleheaders, reducing the number of days off during the All-Star break, and extending the regular season beyond its original Sept. 27 end date, sources told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Multiple players are willing to play up to two doubleheaders a week, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel report. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins suggested seven-inning doubleheaders during a conference call Wednesday, according to Ian Harrison of The Associated Press.
If regular-season games stretched into October, playoff games pushed into November could either be played at neutral warm-weather sites or at indoor or domed stadiums, Passan and McDaniel report.
Expanded playoff scenarios are also being discussed, Passan and McDaniel's sources said, although the coronavirus outbreak continues to complicate matters.
MLB reportedly agreed to offer a full year of service time to players who are active throughout the entire 2020 season, although there is no clarity about whether they'd receive their full salaries if the campaign is canceled.
The 2020 season was scheduled to begin Thursday but is on pause because of the global coronavirus pandemic. Multiple officials reportedly pointed toward July - around the time the All-Star Game was scheduled to take place - as a possible season start date, according to Passan and McDaniel.
