Report: Majority of Nationals Voted Against Playing in Miami amid COVID Outbreak

The "vast majority" of Washington Nationals players reportedly voted against going to Miami this weekend for a three-game series against the Miami Marlins, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Rosenthal noted that Major League Baseball will decide whether the games will be played or postponed.

Per Chris Bumbaca and Bob Nightengale of USA Today, 17 people within the Marlins organization are known to have tested positive for COVID-19. That resulted in the Marlins' home series against the Baltimore Orioles getting postponed this week.

MLB also postponed the New York Yankees' two-game road set with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday and Tuesday since the Marlins faced the Phillies in the season-opening series for both teams.

The Marlins are currently scheduled to travel to Baltimore for a two-game set against the Orioles on Wednesday and Thursday before hosting Washington Friday through Sunday.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that a source said the Nationals' vote was "more [a] suggestion than demand." Sherman noted that if the Marlins' games in Baltimore against the Orioles happen, they could take a bus to Washington, D.C., and play the games originally scheduled for Miami there.

A source also told Sherman they believe the Nationals will play even if the games remain in Miami.

Washington lost 4-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday to drop to 1-3 on the season. They are scheduled to face the Blue Jays again Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the road series against Miami.

Starting pitcher Jose Urena, catcher Jorge Alfaro, first baseman Garrett Cooper and outfielder Harold Ramirez are among the Marlins players who have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suggested Monday on MLB Network (h/t ESPN's Jesse Rogers) that the Marlins' outbreak is something the league can manage for now: "I don't put this in the nightmare category. It's not a positive thing, but I don't see it as a nightmare. ... That's why we have the expanded rosters. That's why we have the pool of additional players."

The Nats have been impacted by COVID-19 in a significant way thus far, as first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross opted out of the season due to concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Also, superstar outfielder Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19 just before the Nationals' season-opening game against the Yankees last week.

If the series between the Nationals and Marlins is postponed, it could put MLB in a difficult spot since there is limited time available for teams to make up postponed games.

With the 2020 season getting truncated to 60 games per team rather than the traditional 162, each team has a small number of off-days built-in.

Should too many of the Marlins' games get postponed, it is possible that the standings could be based on winning percentage rather than record in the interest of still giving the Marlins an opportunity to compete for a playoff spot.

Miami is currently 2-1 after taking two out of three games from the Phillies in its season-opening series.