MLB Insider Drops New Details on Potential 2020 Regular Season Length and Where Teams Will Play

We need baseball because we love baseball. It's not more complicated than this. But if we are ever going to get the 2020 MLB season in gear at long last in the midst of this coronavirus shutdown, we can't make a single false move. The league and its teams must be of one mind if health safeguards are to succeed. And with that in mind, there's been no shortage of innovation behind the scenes to try to realize an actual baseball season despite all these challenges.

And on that note, insider Ken Rosenthal just revealed the latest scoop on what a season might really look like.

Latest details on baseball’s plan to return in 2020: https://t.co/woO4yJx7O9
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 9, 2020

We had heard already of the possibility of realigining the MLB into three 10-team divisions based on geographic regions that would minimize long-distance travel. We had heard about a shortened regular season with an expanded playoff field. Now, Rosenthal has even more light to shed as these things take shape.

This includes a regular season that will consist of around half of the typical 162 games. He lists 78, 80, and 82 as potential candidates for the final number, though nothing is confirmed as of this time. Additionally, the playoff field would increase from 10 teams to 14 -- seven from each league.

Perhaps most intriguing, however, is the potential for many teams to play at their normal home stadiums -- while some may end up being unable to do so based on local conditions and will reportedly have to use either Spring Training venues or even other team's big league stadiums.

More possible MLB changes for 2020: limited travel, no x-county flights, more divisional play, expanded rosters, taxi squads, expanded playoffs, more experiments (runner on 2B in extra innings?), more doubleheaders, fewer off days, high-fiving/spitting discouraged or forbidden.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 8, 2020

Talk about haves and have-nots.

To be clear, none of these tidbits are guaranteed to go into effect, as there's a ton of hammering-out still to do. But suffice to say that baseball fully intends to take place, and the relevant authorities are working day and night to try and realize the dream.