Major League Baseball has engaged in “preliminary discussions” about using a bubble format for the 2020 playoffs, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
MLB is reportedly considering a multi-city format for the 2020 postseason, drawing inspiration from the NHL. A single-city quarantine akin to the NBA’s is “difficult for MLB to replicate,” per Passan.
“Because of MLB’s expansion to 16 playoff teams, the league would need at least three hubs to complete its wild-card round before shrinking to a two-hub format for the division series,” Passan wrote on Monday. “The league championship series and World Series could be held at one or two stadiums. Remaining in one metropolitan area would allow teams to avoid air travel and remain at perhaps a single hotel for the entire postseason, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 27.”
Los Angeles, New York and Chicago are all options under consideration, though weather concerns could make the non-Los Angeles cities a difficult proposition, per Passan.
MLB has battled a flurry of COVID-19 cases with both the Marlins and the Cardinals in 2020. St. Louis has not played since July 29, with its next game slated for Friday, Aug. 14.
