NEW YORK — The Yankees and Mets are set to resume spring training in New York City, should there be a baseball season this year.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as much during his press conference Saturday, and a source confirmed to the New York Daily News that the Mets would return to Citi Field for training camp.
“As we wait on a decision from the @MLB on the baseball season, I’m excited to announce that the @Yankees and the @Mets will resume their training here in New York for the first time in years,” Cuomo tweeted Saturday. “NY will review the teams’ plans to make sure the trainings are safe.”
The Yankees confirmed the move in a statement later Saturday.
“As New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this afternoon, the New York Yankees will hold a potential spring training resumption at Yankee Stadium. We will continue to follow Major League Baseball’s guidelines and protocols, and we will vigilantly work with Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio and their health authorities, as well as with federal officials and Major League Baseball’s own medical and infectious disease experts, to ensure our facility maintains the best possible safety standards.
“The health and safety of our players, staff and employees, and of their respective families, will always be our top priority.”
The change of plans arrived after MLB closed all 30 spring training facilities for deep cleaning following a COVID-19 outbreak at the Phillies camp in Clearwater, Fla. The Phillies announced five players and three staff members tested positive for the virus. The Blue Jays also shut down their training facility after a player on the 40-man roster tested positive for the virus.
Coronavirus cases continue rising in Florida, which prompted Mets and Yankees officials to consider moving spring training 2.0 to New York before Cuomo made the announcement Saturday.
Several Mets and Yankees players were already working out at the facilities in Port St. Lucie and Tampa and the move to New York may complicate some health and safety procedures, like the amount of time to be set aside for being quarantined after traveling and the possibility of increased testing.
Any training plans are contingent upon Major League Baseball and the Players Association coming to an agreement to start the season. Most recently, the league rejected the union’s 70-game proposal at full prorated salaries. The union is expected to vote on whether it will accept the league’s 60-game plan, with expanded playoffs serving as the MLBPA’s bargaining chip.
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