When Jameson Taillon spoke to reporters in late March, the Pirates’ Major League Baseball Players Union representative had an interesting way of describing the possibility rosters could expand if/when the 2020 season starts.
“We’ve kind of been told there are no bad ideas right now,” Taillon said.
As a plan surfaced Tuesday that would have MLB playing its entire season in Arizona — one the league itself seemed to tamp down with a statement saying it’s exploring myriad options — Taillon doubled down on that thought.
“I think this at least shows the willingness for both sides to be creative and to get as many games in as possible,” Taillon told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via text message Tuesday afternoon. “It supports the whole ‘no bad idea’ thing.”
At the same time, like MLB, Taillon cautioned that this scenario is not far along at all.
“It seems like it’s all in the early stages of discussions,” Taillon said. “So I wouldn’t read too far into it just yet.”
That will be difficult, as fans can’t wait for sports to resume. The Arizona plan faces significant logistical challenges, including determining whether or not it’s even safe to be playing sports right now.
It would also force players, coaches, team personnel and more to live in something of a bubble in the Phoenix area while playing games at Chase Field and the 10 spring training sites that hold Cactus League games.
If anything happens, Taillon said, MLB would first have to clear it through a number of channels before it even warranted a player vote.
“Right now, that’s what it is — an idea,” Taillon said. “We still have to get clearance from medical professionals and the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), plus government at the state and federal levels. Everyone’s health and safety comes first.”
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