KNBR
The battle between Major League Baseball and the Players Association is important, but everyone is facing a more immediate threat.
The Giants closed their Scottsdale Stadium facility Friday after one person who had been in the facility and one family member exhibited possible coronavirus symptoms Thursday, the team announced. About 20 people are being tested, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said in a text, the results not yet returned. The Athletic first reported the development.
After spring training was cut short in mid-March, Scottsdale Stadium and its facilities were thoroughly cleansed in an effort to ensure the virus was not lurking.
Cases have been exploding recently in Arizona, which has been more lax than most states in handling COVID-19; this week, hundreds of medical professionals signed a letter that urged Gov. Doug Ducey to require masks in public. The state’s Department of Health Services said Friday morning there were more than 3,200 confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, the highest one-day increase thus far.
The Giants are not alone. Friday also saw the closing of Blue Jays and Phillies facilities in Florida, either because of confirmed positive tests or a player reportedly exhibiting symptoms.
If the union and MLB agree upon a deal that would usher in baseball this season, the Giants have been expected to host spring training 2.0 at Oracle Park, which would now seem to be a given. Of course, this also serves as a reminder that even with a deal, there is no guarantee baseball can be played this year.