Report: MLB considering staging spring training in home cities

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Before Major League Baseball begins what would be an abbreviated 2020 season, teams will reconvene for another round of spring training, possibly in their respective home cities.

All 30 teams are preparing to potentially resume spring training at their respective regular-season ballparks, four team executives told Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

MLB has not made a final decision about where spring training will be conducted, according to Nightengale.

By moving the rest of spring training from the usual facilities in Florida and Arizona, MLB could reduce travel, save money on housing players in hotels, and allow the season to start quicker.

One downside, according to one executive who spoke to Nightengale, is that most teams would only be able to play intrasquad games during the abbreviated training period. New York, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles/Anaheim are the only areas that host two MLB teams that could potentially play each other in exhibition games.

News of the potential spring plan comes only a few days after it was reported that MLB is considering realigning into three 10-team geographical divisions, with teams then playing the season in their regular home cities without fans. Previously reported ideas had centered around isolating clubs in Arizona or spreading teams across three different states.

MLB is reportedly hoping to finalize a plan for the 2020 season by the end of May.