Major League Baseball sent a detailed memorandum to its 30 teams restricting access to its facilities and limiting voluntary practices before the start of spring training, according to a copy of the document obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
While Cleveland and several Major League Baseball teams planned to open their spring training facilities this week to their players and staff for volunteer workouts, MLB sent the memo to each team’s main office with strict regulations, threatening severe disciplinary action for anyone. equipment violating procedures.
“We have been informed that some clubs intend to increase the number of players at their Spring Training facilities in January and February prior to the start of Spring Training,” the memo reads. “As everyone knows, COVID-19 is on the rise in the United States and conditions may get worse after the Christmas season. We have not yet received firm guidance from our medical experts on whether it is safe to conduct organized trainings at the Club’s facilities under current conditions, and the protocols that would be necessary to conduct such trainings safely.
“We have also not yet negotiated with the Players Association on the health and safety protocols that will be applicable to the 2021 spring training and the 2021 season. Finally, the intensive COVID-19 testing protocol that we use in 2020, which is necessary. when the risk of community transmission is high, it will not be available to core baseball clubs until the start of Spring Training. “
“As a result, until the start of spring training … clubs may not direct, encourage or request (even voluntarily) that players travel from their current locations to the club’s spring training site for the purpose of using the club’s facilities ”.
Spring training is scheduled to begin on February 17 with Opening Day April 1, but MLB has discussed delaying the season with the increase in COVID-19 cases. The Major League Baseball Players Association insists the season starts on time, with players receiving their full salaries after receiving just 60 paid games in 2020.
MLB informed clubs in its memo that only three categories of players can access their facilities before the start of spring training:
Players who have a permanent residence close to their facilities.
Players who need to enter the facility to receive medical attention.
Players who have been approved to attend a mini-camp organized by the club under the terms of the Basic Agreement.
The only players who will be provided with transportation and accommodation are those who require medical attention and have been approved to attend a mini-camp. No other programs or camps can be held prior to spring training, including programs for minor league players. Clubs are strictly prohibited from inviting players to participate in training sessions, arranging for player transportation and accommodation, organizing player training except with permission, or conducting training in large groups.
Those in violation, the memo says, “will be subject to significant disciplinary action by the Commissioner.”
“While we recognize that clubs want to prepare their players for the season,” the memo says, “we must balance that goal with the real health and safety risks posed by the gathering of players when the risk of transmission of COVID- 19 is tall. Outbreaks of COVID-19 at club facilities in January or February prior to the start of spring training and without protocols agreed to by the Players Association can make it more difficult in certain jurisdictions to obtain approval of our protocols. “
Arizona, which hosts 15 Major League Baseball teams during spring training, has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Arizona’s new case rate last week was 121.8 per 100,000 people, nearly double the national average of 64.7. There were 62,047 in the past seven days in Arizona, including more than 17,000 on Sunday, the new state single-day record.
MLB will also require each club to provide a list of players requesting access to its facilities prior to the start of spring training. Teams must also keep daily records of all players and staff members entering the facility, including arrival and departure times and temperature readings.
There are mandatory temperature checks and COVID-19 symptom screenings for anyone entering the facility, and anyone with a temperature above 100.4 degrees or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms is not allowed. Clubs are responsible for organizing the COVID-19 PCR test at their own cost. Face shields must be worn indoors at all times with only one authorized staff member supervising any individual training. And all meals will be prohibited on the premises until further notice.
There will be a limit of 10 players and 10 staff members allowed in the facility at the same time with only five people allowed in the clubhouse at a time. Until the 2021 health and safety protocols are completed, minor league players will be limited to using facilities that are not occupied by players on the 40-man roster, including clubs, batting cages, weight rooms and cafeterias.
MLB is also asking that players and staff members continue to stay home as much as possible, avoiding public or crowded areas, including restaurants and bars.
“We intend to have specific protocols by 2021 that address the conduct of players and staff when they are out of the stadium, according to the memo. “Until those protocols are agreed with the Players Association, off-field conduct by players and staff is the most significant risk that clubs must manage to maintain a COVID-free environment at their facilities.”
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