Florida governor Ron DeSantis became the second state executive in the United States to announce that his state is “open for sports” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday.

In a state government session, DeSantis adamantly defended his opinion that it is safe for sports teams to return to practicing and potentially playing games, effective immediately.

While it remains unclear what effect this move will have on sports actually being played in the state, it opens the door for leagues to potentially implement plans to return to action in either Florida or Arizona, or potentially both, as the latter state’s governor also announced the permission of sports in his state earlier in the week.

The league that could be most attracted to Florida’s call for action is Major League Baseball, which possesses a large network of Spring Training, professional, and minor league stadiums in the state. Previous plans discussed by the league have mentioned the possibility of grouping various teams together in the state of Florida to play games.

Florida is home to four professional major sports teams whose seasons are currently on hold, the MLB’s Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays and the NBA’s Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

The post Florida Governor: Our State is Also Open For Sports appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball owners have given their approval to the league’s proposal for the 2020 season according to reports on Monday. This is the first step in a process that could see baseball return by the month of July.

The league’s proposal includes starting the season in early July after a “training” period in June that will take place at team’s home stadiums. As opposed to traditional Spring Training action, only intrasquad scrimmages and training sessions will take place.

The league’s proposal also features an 82-game regular season and an expanded playoff format that will include 14 teams instead of the customary 10 teams.

Teams will only play games against their division rivals and their rivals from the other league that are located in the same geographical region, limiting the need for plane travel.

Other changes in the proposal that will now need to be approved by the MLB Player’s Association before it is pushed forward include a 30-man active roster, a universal designated hitter, and a revenue sharing plan that will split income approximately 50-50 between owners and players.

It’s clear that the 2020 MLB season won’t look anything like any season that has previously taken place, but the owners’ green light to the league’s plan is at least a step in the direction towards the return of the sport.

The post MLB Owners Approve Abbreviated Season Proposal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball, whose 2020 season is currently on hold thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that pushed back its Opening Day, has announced yet another alteration to its plans thanks to this year’s circumstances.

The 2020 MLB Draft, which was scheduled to feature 40 rounds as it has every year since the Draft was cut from 50 rounds in 2012, will only have 5 rounds for a total of under 200 picks.

An agreement that Major League Baseball reached with the MLB Players’ Association during the work suspension allowed for them to reduce this year’s draft in order to save money for teams that are suffering financially thanks to the lack of game action.

Some of the new rules that apply to this year’s reduced draft include a mechanism that allows teams to pay signing bonuses in a gradual fashion, only requiring them to fully pay the players that they sign by summer 2022.

In addition, players who are not selected in this year’s draft will only be allowed to sign for a maximum amount of $20,000 in order to continue their professional careers.

This move is expected to have a significant effect on the structure of Minor League Baseball and team farm systems in the future, as the number of players that they will add this summer will fall sharply.

The post 2020 MLB Draft to Feature Only 5 Rounds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis became the second state executive in the United States to announce that his state is “open for sports” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday.

In a state government session, DeSantis adamantly defended his opinion that it is safe for sports teams to return to practicing and potentially playing games, effective immediately.

While it remains unclear what effect this move will have on sports actually being played in the state, it opens the door for leagues to potentially implement plans to return to action in either Florida or Arizona, or potentially both, as the latter state’s governor also announced the permission of sports in his state earlier in the week.

The league that could be most attracted to Florida’s call for action is Major League Baseball, which possesses a large network of Spring Training, professional, and minor league stadiums in the state. Previous plans discussed by the league have mentioned the possibility of grouping various teams together in the state of Florida to play games.

Florida is home to four professional major sports teams whose seasons are currently on hold, the MLB’s Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays and the NBA’s Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

The post Florida Governor: Our State is Also Open For Sports appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball owners have given their approval to the league’s proposal for the 2020 season according to reports on Monday. This is the first step in a process that could see baseball return by the month of July.

The league’s proposal includes starting the season in early July after a “training” period in June that will take place at team’s home stadiums. As opposed to traditional Spring Training action, only intrasquad scrimmages and training sessions will take place.

The league’s proposal also features an 82-game regular season and an expanded playoff format that will include 14 teams instead of the customary 10 teams.

Teams will only play games against their division rivals and their rivals from the other league that are located in the same geographical region, limiting the need for plane travel.

Other changes in the proposal that will now need to be approved by the MLB Player’s Association before it is pushed forward include a 30-man active roster, a universal designated hitter, and a revenue sharing plan that will split income approximately 50-50 between owners and players.

It’s clear that the 2020 MLB season won’t look anything like any season that has previously taken place, but the owners’ green light to the league’s plan is at least a step in the direction towards the return of the sport.

The post MLB Owners Approve Abbreviated Season Proposal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball, whose 2020 season is currently on hold thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that pushed back its Opening Day, has announced yet another alteration to its plans thanks to this year’s circumstances.

The 2020 MLB Draft, which was scheduled to feature 40 rounds as it has every year since the Draft was cut from 50 rounds in 2012, will only have 5 rounds for a total of under 200 picks.

An agreement that Major League Baseball reached with the MLB Players’ Association during the work suspension allowed for them to reduce this year’s draft in order to save money for teams that are suffering financially thanks to the lack of game action.

Some of the new rules that apply to this year’s reduced draft include a mechanism that allows teams to pay signing bonuses in a gradual fashion, only requiring them to fully pay the players that they sign by summer 2022.

In addition, players who are not selected in this year’s draft will only be allowed to sign for a maximum amount of $20,000 in order to continue their professional careers.

This move is expected to have a significant effect on the structure of Minor League Baseball and team farm systems in the future, as the number of players that they will add this summer will fall sharply.

The post 2020 MLB Draft to Feature Only 5 Rounds appeared first on SportzBonanza.