The Cactus League asks MLB to delay spring training because of a spike in Arizona COVID-19 cases
The request includes a study that expects the case rate to drop by mid-March. Coronavirus rates are also rising in Florida, where the Phillies train.
Major League Baseball’s plan to start spring training as scheduled was met Monday with resistance, as Arizona’s Cactus League asked MLB to delay spring training because of rising coronavirus rates in the cities where teams will train.
All 30 major-league teams are scheduled to begin spring training in mid-February in Arizona or Florida. The Phillies plan to hold their first workout for pitchers and catchers on Feb. 17 in Clearwater, Fla., before playing their first Grapefruit League game on Feb. 27.
The letter from the Cactus League was signed by representatives of the eight Arizona cities that host spring training along with a Native American tribal leader. It said it would be “wise to delay the start of spring training to allow for the COVID-19 situation to improve here.”
If the Cactus League is delayed, it would be unlikely that MLB would allow the Grapefruit League to start as scheduled because it would give half the major-league teams an advantage. A delay to spring training would likely require the start of the regular season to be pushed back. The Phillies are scheduled to play their season opener on April 1.
Arizona’s Maricopa County, which contains the eight Cactus League cities, has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the country. The state reported 8,099 new cases last Friday, 53% of which were in Maricopa County. The letter cited a study from the University of Washington that projected Arizona’s daily infection rate to decline sharply by mid-March.
Florida reported 13,719 new COVID-19 cases last Friday and 272 resident deaths, the state’s highest number of fatalities since August. The infection rate has spiked this month in Pinellas County, where the Phillies train. Five times this month, Pinellas County has reported more than 600 new infections in a day.
“We understand that any decision to delay spring training cannot be made unilaterally by MLB,” the Cactus League letter said, referring to MLB’s needing to work with the players union before delaying camp. “As leaders charged with protecting public health, and as committed longtime partners in the spring training industry, we want you to know that we stand united on this point.”