The 2021 MLB Season May Be Delayed

The drama around baseball has started to unfold yet again. Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently wrote that MLB owners do not believe the season will be a full 162-game slate with Spring Training beginning in February.

The player’s association wants to play the full season for a good reason: players will earn their entire salaries. The conflict resides with the owners, who are seemingly floating the idea of not beginning until later in the spring so all of the players are vaccinated for COVID-19. What they likely mean is they will not play unless they can have fans in attendance. Baseball is a business. Owners have claimed they took “biblical” losses in the 2020 fan-less season, but without knowing the true numbers, fans can only speculate.

There is a chance that owners are promoting the idea of a shortened season just in case the general population is not vaccinated by the time the season begins. Will they allow 50% capacity if there is a widely available vaccine? Time will tell.