Phillies' Aaron Nola on 2020 MLB Season: 'Wherever They Want to Play, I'll Play'

The 2020 Major League Baseball season was supposed to begin on March 26.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola is ready to start whenever the league determines it's safe enough to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's going to be hot either way," Nola told ESPN's Jesse Rogers on Friday. "It'll be hot here in Florida. It'll be hot in Arizona. I don't mind the humidity more than the dryness. Wherever they want to play, I'll play."

The 26-year-old All-Star also commented on whether MLB could successfully quarantine all 30 clubs:

"I don't know. Only God knows what this is going to come to and when it's going to end. I feel like the first part is staying safe. We all want to play, but safety is first. As time goes on, we're going to get more answers, and hopefully they become more obvious, and this pandemic begins to pass."

Major League Baseball was reportedly considering opening the season "as early as May" by playing in isolation at empty stadiums in Phoenix and its surrounding areas, per ESPN's Jeff Passan on April 6.

CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson reported a different plan that would involve Arizona, Florida and Texas on April 22:

"Ballparks in St. Petersburg (Florida), Phoenix (Arizona), and Arlington (Texas) each have roofs, retractable or otherwise, that would safeguard against rainouts and other extreme weather, allowing for multiple games to be hosted at those sites per day. Theoretically, MLB could also ask teams stationed in Florida and Texas to drive three-plus hours to other MLB parks (Houston's Minute Maid Park and Miami's Marlins Park).

"It's unclear if MLB would assign 10 teams to each metropolitan area, or if it would opt for an unbalanced approach that would see 12 teams in one area and eight in another."

The Athletic's Andy McCullough surveyed several people after Passan's report about potentially playing the season in Arizona. Like Nola, Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado and Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien were open to the idea.

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon was open, too, but raised some concerns.

"I'll do anything," Maddon told McCullough. "I'll play on the moon, I don't care. Whatever the schedule looks like, I'm good. The only thing about Arizona is that it's going to be really hot. Even at night, it's going to be really hot. Those games will be tough. You're talking 100-degree tough. That's the part that concerns me."

However, Nola's teammate Zack Wheeler was among those opposed.

MLB has not confirmed a specific plan to return to play.