Report: MLB Eyeing End of May to Have Plan in Place for Start of 2020 Season

The 2020 MLB season has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, but the league could have a plan to restart the year by May 31.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported: "The next month could provide a number of answers to issues baseball is considering as it plots its return. ... The end of May isn't a drop-dead point to have a plan in place, sources said, as much as it's a reasonable and logical one."

Per Passan, most teams have guaranteed salaries for employees through May 31.

A lot of uncertainty surrounds the return of baseball.

"While I fully anticipate that baseball will resume this season," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a letter last week, "it is very difficult to predict with any accuracy the timeline for the resumption of our season."

According to R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports, the league is considering a plan where all games are played in Florida, Arizona and Texas to limit travel.

There could be other options to play without fans as different states loosen their stay-at-home restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Passan broke down, creating a plan by May could allow the season to begin in July following negotiations with the players association and three weeks of training. This would leave four months of the regular season through October, playing 80 to 100 games.

The playoffs could then be held in November in neutral, warm-weather cities.

This is considered "the most realistic option at this point," per Passan.