No one knows how long Major League Baseball’s hiatus will last amid the coronavirus pandemic, but Boston Red Sox front office staff held a conference call Friday to address the vast amount of questions raised by the pause.
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom did his best to answer them.
Bloom confirmed that no one with the Sox has met criteria to be tested for coronavirus, and the Red Sox have told their players they’re free to go home, though the team will continue to make all facilities available for players, including minor leaguers.
“It’s been agreed that our players can leave should they choose to and go home or where they need to go,” Bloom said, via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. “For players who want to stay here, we will have the facility available to them.”
The CBO assured the Red Sox will try to make that travel process as safe as possible, especially for its international athletes.
But with players leaving spring training, how long will it take to get the team ready for the season when and if it does start back up.
Bloom said it would be a guess to provide that time frame, via Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, but estimates it would take “at least a few weeks,” possibly longer, depending on how long the postponement lasts.
Spring training part two at Fenway Park certainly will be different.
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