Have questions about the Texas Rangers amid the coronavirus pandemic? Try this FAQ
Texas Rangers spring training is over.
The regular season isn’t starting March 26. The Globe Life Field opener won’t be March 31.
In a series of unprecedented announcements, Major League Baseball said last Thursday that it was canceling spring training and would delay the start of the 2020 season by at least two weeks amid rising health concerns due to coronavirus.
That was followed Friday by the suspension of all spring operations. On Sunday, spring sites were closed.
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
April 9 is no longer MLB’s target date to rev up the season, commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday. While the season has been stopped, coronavirus continues to spread. Travel is banned or soon will be.
So, what’s going to happen with the Rangers?
Good question.
What will players do?
As All-Star Joey Gallo said Sunday, the Rangers are back in offseason mode.
The players who live locally will workout together in some capacity, perhaps at the Urban Youth Academy in west Dallas. A small group will continue working out in Arizona, as clubs are mandated by the collective-bargaining agreement to keep spring facilities open for players on the 40-man roster.
Most, though, have gone home and will be working out one their own. Those who can get home, at least.
Coaches and the medical staff will continue check in with players on their progress and their health.
What about players and coronavirus?
The Rangers’ medical staff has been proactive since the beginning of spring training in advising players how to avoid catching coronavirus, and so far no one has caught it or even been tested.
They are being told the same stuff as everyone else: Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, don’t touch your face, don’t shake hands with anyone, don’t drink alcohol, try to avoid stressful situations, get plenty of sleep, practice social distancing.
The last one might be the most difficult one, though more and more businesses are shutting down or being ordered to close.
What about minor-leaguers?
The minor-league season has been pushed back, too, and it was already scheduled to start two weeks after the MLB season opener.
All minor-league players, with the exception of some Venezuelans who can’t enter their country and those in long-term rehab programs, have gone home. Those still in Arizona are staying in the Rangers Village, the new hotel-style residence for minor-leaguers, and being provided meals.
The rest are in the same boats as MLB players, with one big exception. Yes, they have to work out on their own, but, no, they have the same financial cushion to fall back upon.
Compensating minor-leaguers will be an issue throughout the shutdown.
How long until the season starts?
No one knows, but May 1 is what the players were predicting as recently as two days ago. That would cost the Rangers their first 30 games.
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that gatherings of larger than 50 people should be nixed for eight weeks, which would extend to May 11.
June 1 might be the best MLB is hoping for at this point, and even then fans might not be allowed into ballparks. Some are preparing for a July 1 start.
How many games will be played in 2020?
Again, no one knows, but the 1981 and 1995 seasons might serve as precedent.
The players struck during the 1981 season, from June 12 to July 31, and the season was split into halves. The first half started after the All-Star Game, which was held Aug. 9. Only 108 games were played, and the Rangers finished 57-48.
The lockout that ended the 1994 season early and canceled the postseason and World Series lingered into 1995. Once an agreement was reached on a new collective bargaining agreement, players went through spring training but didn’t start the season until April 25. A 144-game schedule was played, and the Rangers went 74-70.
That could be done with a May 14 start, even though games would likely have to be played in empty ballparks.
A return to Arizona?
Not to be a broken record, but no one knows. This much is known: The Rangers hope they don’t have to return.
It would be a logistical nightmare in the short-term, for one, having to finding houses and cars to rent again en masse. Besides, the Rangers believe they can accomplish what they need to be ready for the season in Arlington.
What if spring training wouldn’t begin until June 1? Well, it was 93 degrees June 1, 2019, at the Surprise Recreation Campus, and 100 degrees on June 5. How about June 12? Only 109.
This season was supposed to be the end of hot summer games, right?
What’s happening at Globe Life Field?
A reduced, but still large staff of around 1,000 people, continues to work at Globe Life Field. The plan continues for them to hit their deadlines for substantial completion, which will happen Saturday when the playing surface is completed.
The $1.2-billion ballpark essentially will be ready to open at that point, with crews working through the final punch list. The facility will be ready for MLB players to use once they are permitted to resume organized workouts.
What about my tickets?
The Rangers have issued guidelines on how to obtain refunds for canceled spring games as well as how to exchange tickets for the exhibition games that were to be played March 23 and March 24. Those guidelines are available at texasrangers.com or at this link.
The club will provide instructions for canceled or postponed regular-season games once the first game is missed.
This much is certain: The first season at Globe Life Field isn’t going to be the financial coup the Rangers were anticipating. That could have an impact on the 2021 budget for player acquisition, though all teams are going to be in the same boat.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 4:13 PM.
