Cuomo envisions MLB returning to New York in 2020

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he envisions Major League Baseball returning to his state before the end of the year during his daily briefing on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

Cuomo offered a caveat, though, saying games at Yankee Stadium or Citi Field in 2020 would need to be played without fans in attendance.

"Be creative. Try to figure it out," Cuomo said. "But if players could get paid more than staying home and owners would get some revenue versus total shutdown, why not? I'd love to watch."

New York has been the hardest-hit state during the coronavirus pandemic. Of the 985,000 confirmed cases in the country, New York has reported nearly 300,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Cuomo, who told reporters he has spoken with owners of sports teams but didn't identify which ones, added that the league would need to make sure returning to New York is economically feasible.

"It would have to be up to them, that they do an economic analysis that says, yeah, some revenue is better than no revenue, and my players are willing to negotiate a contract reduction," he said. "Everybody has to think outside the box, right? Because there is no box."

MLB reportedly hopes to put a plan together for the 2020 season by the end of May. A couple of plans have leaked, such as playing the season entirely in Arizona, Florida, and Texas. However, MLB reportedly only wants to start the 2020 campaign in those locations, then eventually every team will return to its home ballpark.