Major League Baseball released a statement on Tuesday following a report by ESPN's Jeff Passan that the league and players were "increasingly focused" on a plan to start the season in Arizona as early as May.
"MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do so. While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. While we continue to interact regularly with governmental and public health officials, we have not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association. The health and safety of our employees, players, fans and the public at large are paramount, and we are not ready at this time to endorse any particular format for staging games in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the coronavirus."
In Passan's report, he said the league had "support of high-ranking federal public health officials who believe the league can safely operate amid the coronavirus pandemic."
However, Passan did not report that anything had been approved or finalized, adding that there were many potential roadblocks to the plan.
The MLB release noted that the league had not yet sought or received approval from federal, state, or local officials, and that the reported plan for the season to start in isolation in Arizona was only "one potential option."
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