Major League Baseball and its players are increasingly focused on a plan that could allow them to start the season as early as May and has the support of high-ranking federal public health officials who believe the league can safely operate amid the coronavirus pandemic, sources told ESPN.

The plan, sources said, would dictate that all 30 teams play games at stadiums with no fans in the greater Phoenix area, including the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field, 10 spring training facilities and perhaps other nearby fields. Players, coaching staffs and other essential personnel would be sequestered at local hotels, where they would live in relative isolation and travel only to and from the stadium, sources said. Federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the National Institute of Health have been supportive of a plan that would adhere to strict isolation, promote social distancing and allow MLB to become the first professional sport to return.

Among the possibilities that have been discussed among people from both sides, though not in the talks on Monday, according to sources:

• Implementing an electronic strike zone to allow the plate umpire to maintain sufficient distance from the catcher and batter

• No mound visits from the catcher or pitching coach

• Seven-inning doubleheaders, which with an earlier-than-expected start date could allow baseball to come closer to a full 162-game season

• Regular use of on-field microphones by players, as an added bonus for TV viewers

• Sitting in the empty stands 6 feet apart -- the recommended social-distancing space -- instead of in a dugout

jamiethekiller wrote:so ridiculous. just have them all past a test and let them behave normally.

06hawkalum wrote:

jamiethekiller wrote:so ridiculous. just have them all past a test and let them behave normally.

Just because they test negative one day doesn't mean they would not test positive the next day. Then what happens? The whole league would need to self-isolate for two weeks. Desperate times call for desperate measures and this is all about ensuring no one gets sick so that there is no clawback of the TV money.

The Dude wrote:I don't see those guys being in isolation for a season. there's gonna be guys sneaking out

06hawkalum wrote:

The Dude wrote:I don't see those guys being in isolation for a season. there's gonna be guys sneaking out

Yup, young (horny) dudes gonna do what young (horny) dudes are gonna do.

jamiethekiller wrote:

06hawkalum wrote:

The Dude wrote:I don't see those guys being in isolation for a season. there's gonna be guys sneaking out

Yup, young (horny) dudes gonna do what young (horny) dudes are gonna do.

go to the club thats not open? have escorts brought in(good chance, actually)

azrider wrote:arizona is great till june.... other than chase field, there's no other indoor facility to play in. can't retrofit state farm. the kids play at night here during the summer for the arizona rookie league, but we're three hours behind and wouldn't be a big ratings winner on the east coast.

it'll be interesting and fun to give it a go. i'm for it. hell, i will probably try to sneak into a game.

azrider wrote:wouldn't be a big ratings winner on the east coast