Barring a full-blown (and highly unlikely) strike by the players, it appears that the 2020 MLB season will soon begin, albeit a short 2020 MLB season.

When MLB Players Association chief Tony Clark released his (latest) statement on Saturday afternoon, he ended it with: “It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.”

It’s looking like the ‘when’ could be the Fourth of July weekend, as the fourth falls on a Saturday this year. But it’s the ‘where’ that is – or at least should be – of greater concern.

Let’s face it, having the Dodgers play their home games at a fan-less Dodger Stadium is a bit of an overkill, both practically and economically (not to mention the fact that the parking lot is currently home of the largest COVID-19 testing site in the state). That being said, all 30 MLB teams were notified on Friday that they must find a site within 100 miles of their home ballpark for their taxi squads to workout.

For the Dodgers, LoanMart Field, home to their Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, would be the obvious choice being only 48 miles away from Chavez Ravine.

However, a far more prudent – and safer – choice for their home games would be their Spring Training facility at Camelback Ranch-Glendale, which would put their taxi squad within walking distance of their major league field. This would also allow for the other 14 Cactus League teams to be close to one another, which would mean minimal travel time and distance between home ballparks.

Granted, this would cause teams to play against other teams not in their own division or even league, but we’re talking only 50-ish games here.

We will probably get some type of further definition as to what MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and team owners have in mind for the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season within the next few days. That said, and despite the on-going animosities between MLB and the MLBPA, it will soon be…

Tiiiiime for Dodgers Baseball!

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