Cactus League, Arizona cities ask MLB to delay start of spring training because of COVID-19

Spring training in Arizona is scheduled to begin on Feb. 17 but the COVID-19 pandemic could force a delay.

Officials from the Cactus League and the communities that host 15 teams have asked Major League Baseball to push back the start of camps and Cactus League games.

In a letter dated Friday, which was released by the Cactus League on Monday morning, officials from eight cities in the Phoenix area, as well as the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, which hosts the Rockies and Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, said Arizona’s high COVID-19 infection rate most likely won’t improve until mid-March.

The letter states: “In view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County — with one of the nation’s highest infection rates — we believe it is wise to delay the start of spring training to allow for the COVID-19 situation to improve here.

“This position is based on public data from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which projects a sharp decline in infections in Arizona by mid-March (an estimated 9,712 daily infections on February 15 and 3,072 daily infections on March 15).”

Cactus League and city representatives met with MLB to “provide an update on our efforts as the February reporting date for Major League Baseball players approaches. We are grateful to MLB for its partnership and unified in our commitment to provide a safe, secure environment.”

A Cactus League task force has been evaluating ways to run a safe spring training, but the rise in COVID cases has raised questions.

“We understand that any decision to delay spring training cannot be made unilaterally by MLB. As leaders charged with protecting public health, and as committed, longtime partners in the spring training industry, we want you to know that we stand united on this point,” the letter says.

It is signed by the Cactus League Executive Director Bridget Binsbacher and the mayors of Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria, Surprise, Phoenix city manager Ed Zuercher and Martin Harvier, president of the Salt River community.

This story will be updated.

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