McAdam: Virus reminds both sides who's in charge when it comes to getting baseball back on field

Imagine, after weeks and weeks of off-and-on negotiations, Major League Baseball owners and players finally arrive at an agreement in the coming days, and just as they're set to re-open spring training camps, the entire 2020 season is wiped out by an outbreak of the coronavirus throughout the sport.

How 2020 would that be?

And yet, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that just such a scenario could unfold.

That was brought home by the news Friday that eight people -- five players and three staff members -- had tested positive for Covid-19 at the Philadelphia Phillies' spring training complex in Clearwater, Fla. In addition, 12 other staff members and another 20 players are awaiting test results, raising the possibility that the organization could be facing a full-blown outbreak.



This development comes as commissioner Rob Manfred and Players Association executive director Tony Clark had what was first thought to be a productive face-to-face session earlier this week in Arizona. In those talks, Manfred proposed paying, for the first time, 100 percent pro rated salaries. Much to the union's chagrin, the schedule called for just 60 games, -- or just over a third of the normal 162-game schedule --  leading to the players countering with a proposal of 70 games and further separating the two sides again.

But the eight positives -- and the potential for more -- illustrates all too well how tenuous this entire effort could be. Even if the two sides can close the current gap and reach a negotiated settlement on how to salvage the 2020 season, such agreements could be instantly scuttled by health concerns.

Already, the owners are mindful of the forecast that a second wave of the pandemic could strike later this fall, putting the profitable postseason in jeopardy. Cooler weather, scientists and doctors fear, could usher in a new strain of Covid-19 in the late fall.

However, escalating numbers of coronavirus cases in Florida, Texas and Arizona -- who together house five major league teams, all 30 spring training complexes and serve as home for hundreds of current major leaguers -- are further proof that an outbreak could happen anytime.

Because no official agreement is in place, players and owners haven't fully agreed on the health and safety protocols that would be required to move forward and start the season. As such, it's unknown precisely what MLB has proposed should some players test positive for the virus once the season begins.

It's assumed that while baseball could handle some periodic positives cases across its 30 teams and not have to interrupt play, the highly-contagious nature of the virus makes isolated cases highly unlikely.

The Red Sox announced at the end of March that a minor leaguer tested positive for Covid-19. The player received his positive test result after returning home for an aborted spring training and has since recovered.