It is looking more likely that there could be baseball in Pittsburgh this year. Now, possibly, a Spring Training 2.0.
According to a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Major League Baseball is preparing for the possibility of resuming spring training at each team's regular-season ballpark rather than having them return to their facilities in Florida or Arizona.
These workouts would, of course, be closed off to the public.
This would be mostly a cost-cutting measure, as training in home cities would largely eliminate the need for expenses like hotels. It could also save time if the league decides to adopt a recent proposal of allowing teams to play at their home stadiums without crowds. That proposal would require radical league realignment to just three divisions, but it also is the best option if the league hopes the public health situation can improve enough to have mass gatherings later in the season.
The downside of holding spring training in home stadiums is they will have fewer facilities to work with. In March, Pirates player union representative Jameson Taillon said one of the advantages of hosting spring training training in Bradenton is there are more mounds and fields available for players to use. This would also mean teams will be mostly limited to playing intrasquad games during the ramp-up period, rather than playing against other teams like a normal spring training.
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