Report: MLB's Rob Manfred Fully Anticipates Baseball Will Return This Season

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred believes there will be a 2020 MLB season despite the coronavirus pandemic.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Manfred recently told MLB staffers, "I fully anticipate baseball will return this season."

As a result of Manfred's comment, more than half of the 30 MLB teams committed to paying their baseball operations staffs through at least the end of May, per Passan.

The season had been set to begin March 26, but after the NBA and NHL suspended their seasons because of COVID-19, MLB followed suit by shutting down spring training.

Since it is already nearly one month after the season was supposed to begin, playing a full 162-game set almost certainly won't happen. Manfred said last month that playing 162 games "probably" wasn't in the cards.

Most states have stay-at-home orders because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of which are set to expire April 30. Whether those orders are extended could play a big role in how MLB proceeds.

The plan that has seemingly gained the most traction thus far is the "Arizona plan," which would see all 30 teams stay and play their games in Arizona. The teams would be quarantined in hotels and tested regularly before playing games in empty ballparks.

Another plan that has been mentioned publicly would see the 30 teams split in half into new leagues that would exist for only one season. Half the teams would play in the Cactus League in Arizona, and the other half would play in the Grapefruit League in Florida. That scenario would also result in players and staff being quarantined and tested before playing without fans.

Both options have pitfalls, including the issue of whether players and team personnel would be kept away from their families for months. MLB will have to decide whether it can have the players' families stay with them or make those plans only temporary to start the season before transitioning into another phase.

Also, with no revenue from ticket sales, the MLB and MLB Players Association would have to come to some type of agreement on compensation.

While Manfred's optimism may be a positive for baseball fans who are starved for the sport they love, there are many logistical issues that must be worked out before MLB can even begin to work toward the start of the 2020 season.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.