As the sports world continued to deal Friday with the spread of coronavirus, some Giants players were no different than their fans. They hit refresh on their apps waiting to see what the next step was.
The official word came late in the day, when MLB, after a meeting with reps from the Players Association, announced that spring training operations have been suspended. Players were given three options: Stay in their spring training city, travel to the city where their team plays, or return to their homes.
MLB wrote that “this step is in the best interests of players, employees and the communities who host Spring Training.” The league also said it would continue to monitor ongoing events.
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The Giants had no news Friday except the announcement that their facility at Scottsdale Stadium will be closed for the weekend to undergo deep cleaning. It will reopen Monday.
Players reached via text Friday expressed a preference to remain in Scottsdale for now. Most players had planned to be there through the next couple of weeks anyway and many of the team’s veterans live in the area full-time. It was unclear how that preference might change as this drags on, which now seems likely. The word around league circles Friday was that the season was likely to start closer to May rather than on April 9. The league on Thursday delayed the start at least two weeks.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants can use Scottsdale Stadium only through March 31, but that shouldn’t be too big an issue. The city is likely willing to extend for such a valuable partner, and the Giants always could move their operations back to Oracle Park at the end of the month.
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Players hoped to get more clarity on all the relevant issues later Friday.