It’s been nearly 3 1/2 months since COVID-19 caused Major League Baseball to postpone the start of its 2020 season, and we’re still about a month away from seeing play officially resume.
After some tough negotiations, MLB finally has landed on a 60-game regular-season schedule for 2020. But that’s a far cry from the typical 162-game slate teams are accustomed to.
That said, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner is excited about Boston’s chances at success in 2020, despite the abbreviated schedule.
“What’s good about 60 games is that every game is important. Any team is capable of going on a 10-game winning streak and we’ve got some enormous talent on the team,” Werner told WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on Friday. “It’s a shame that Chris Sale isn’t playing, but I would compare the left side of our infield (with Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts) to any infield in baseball and J.D. Martinez is an outstanding DH (designated hitter). I like our chances.”
One thing that might complicate things for teams is if players begin testing positive for the virus mid-season. But Werner isn’t too concerned about that.
“There is going to be the occasional person who will have a positive test, and he will be asked to stay home in quarantine for a week or two. Hopefully there won’t be too many,” Werner said. “I think a number of people say if there’s one positive or two positive test for club, then the whole enterprise should be abandoned. I think that’s draconian and we’ll just sort of see this as it plays out.”
Opening Day is expected for July 23, though the league has yet to announce an official schedule.
