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The leadup to the return of Major League Baseball could take place with teams at their regular-season ballparks instead of their spring training facilities, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Thursday.

Nightengale cited four anonymous team executives as the source for the story.



The training camps reportedly would last three weeks, leading up to a shortened regular season.

The baseball season, which was due to start March 26, has yet to begin due to the coronavirus pandemic. Spring training was shut down on March 12, and Opening Day has been postponed indefinitely.

When restrictions are lifted and teams begin to reassemble, doing so in their regular-season venues as opposed to their spring homes would be a money-saver, according to the report. If the players gather in Florida and Arizona, teams would be on the hook for hotels as well as per diem payments.

The downside to the regular-season-city plan would be field access. Major league parks have just one field, while spring training sites typically have six, according to Nightengale.

In another change prompted by medical concerns, regular-season traveling parties would be thinned, the report added. Fewer coaches, trainers and video staffers would join the players and manager.

Nightengale also reported that MLB is attempting to negotiate a revised collective bargaining agreement with the umpires. The umps reportedly are being offered a 35 percent regular-season pay cut, but full postseason bonuses would be paid.



Per the report, umpires make $110,000 to $432,800 annually, and they have been paid through April.

Nightengale reported that MLB told the umpires they will stop getting paid during the shutdown unless a salary-reduction plan is approved.

On Wednesday, Nightengale reported that a plan is being discussed to have the 30 MLB teams broken into three divisions this year instead of the usual six.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)