MLB Should Reconsider Arizona Plan and Pivot to California After Latest 'Reopening' Announcement

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has been focused on hammering out plans to begin the 2020 regular season with team owners and the players association in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, ESPN insider Jeff Passan said it appears it's "Arizona or bust" when it comes to hosting official contests, possibly as soon as May. Yes, Arizona is nice and all, but maybe it's time for the league to consider a different locale.

California Governor Gavin Newsom told members of the media that he would make an official announcement on Tuesday regarding a specific plan to reopen the state. If that's the case, Manfred should at least consider the Golden State for baseball.

It's too early to tell when Newsom expects the state to resume even the slightest suggestion of normalcy, but California wouldn't be a bad host state for MLB.

For one, there are a vast number of minor league stadiums and college venues squads can use to host regular season matchups with no fans in attendance. To be specific, California has 19 minor and independent league stadiums alone, while Arizona has one independent stadium and ten Spring Training parks.

While California is geographically far larger than Arizona,19 venues is a lot. That accounts for the majority of the league.

Additionally, the weather conditions are much more ideal in California than the 115-degree desert heat in the Grand Canyon State once we hit the dog days of summer.

It's still too early to tell what kind of timetable Governor Newsom is set to announce, but it's something that Manfred should keep an eye on this week. If California is a feasible option, MLB should pivot to them as a potential host for real, exisiting baseball games.