1/Forgive a string on the current state of the schedule. What exists today is a version that on Thursday was okayed by the union and has the #Yankees at #Nationals on 7/23. But now that version of the schedule is out with teams, who will provide feedback.
2/Keep in mind that in a standard yr an MLB sked is a Jenga game of moving parts with what facilities are available when, what do national TV partners need, following off day provisions in the CBA, etc. So imagine even with far fewer games the variables being weighed now.
3/A month ago MLB would have been thrilled to play games in Az/Fla/Tex. Now it might have to rejigger the sked to avoid or maybe even eliminate them. It is 1 reason not to expect MLB to announce a sked this coming week, maybe even longer. A sked is usually done as much in
4/advance as possible, 1 large reason is so fans have plenty of time to decided which games to buy tickets to. Without fans, that pressure vanishes. MLB can wait to see how testing goes this week, what becomes more important to clubs as training and new info arises, as data from
5/states comes in to show where the virus is soaring and falling. For example, MLB avoided having teams play 2 5-game series to cover the 10 games against division foes in the current iteration because that would force off-days on weekends and make TV scheduling more problematic
6/But more info might make less travel even more preferable to teams, moving MLB do make 5-game series, which it has historically not done. In fact, MLB is not even solid that it will hold to the format of 40 games v. division foes, 20 v. interleague. It all can change with new
7/info and if it changes the union will have to give its blessing yet again. Clearly, though, if MLB could pick a way to start, having the #Yankees at the #Nationals on opening day with 2 of the most dominant starters in the game revising 2019 WS G1 is the preference. Which is
8/why the tentative sked has it and -- all things being equal -- if the final draft could have it, that would be the preference as well. But the virus complicates locking in a schedule, so MLB waits, hoping it can play a season, in which case it will be happy to figure out a sked
