Report: MLB having preliminary discussions for postseason in bubble

While MLB opted to play its regular season in every major league stadium in the United States, the league is now in preliminary discussions about adopting a bubble format for the postseason, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Passan adds that a single bubble format - like the NBA's setup in Disney - would likely be difficult for MLB to pull off. Instead, the league reportedly favors multiple bubbles, similar to the arrangement the NHL opted for with games in Toronto and Edmonton.

Southern California, Chicago, and New York were the areas listed that made the most sense, Passan's sources added. That would mean the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and New York Yankees could wind up playing host.

Of note, New York and California have been two of the hardest-hit states in the country with regard to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Setting the hubs on the west coast could present an additional scheduling problem, as some games would have to be played before noon local time, Passan notes.

The MLB postseason is slated to begin on Sept. 27, with sixteen teams participating in the expanded format.

The news of a potential playoff bubble comes in the wake of the St. Louis Cardinals enduring their 16th and 17th postponements on Monday due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests on the team. Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins recently resumed their season after it was briefly derailed by a similar outbreak.