Colorado Rockies: Salt River Fields is closed; 2020 Amateur Draft soon to be canceled?

The Associated Press reported late Wednesday night that Major League Baseball is reportedly considering canceling the entire 2020 MLB Amateur Draft, in which the Colorado Rockies would have the 9th overall pick, due to concerns with the coronavirus.

Ronald Blum of The Associated Press reported on Wednesday evening that Major League Baseball is considering canceling the entire 2020 MLB Amateur Draft in June due to concerns over the coronavirus. Tentatively, the Colorado Rockies would have the 9th overall pick in the draft but if the draft is canceled, the potential order could see some changes.

The draft was moved from MLB Network’s studios in New Jersey to Omaha, Nebraska this year because Omaha is the site of the College World Series each year. However, the event was already canceled.

But that is not even close to being the entire story as there are numerous things of note in the column.

First and foremost for the Colorado Rockies, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick has been closed down as the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has decided to cease operations temporarily. Some of the Rockies will head back to Denver, where they can train at Coors Field for “voluntary workouts.”

Secondly, Blum also noted that MLB is also considering postponing the next international signing period so that MLB can “preserve cash while games are affected by the new coronavirus.”

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The commissioner’s office and the MLBPA are also trying to determine how service time will be changed if at all, depending on whether a full slate of games can be played or not.

Apparently, even if games cannot be played in 2020 due to the pandemic, the MLBPA still wants all MLB players to earn a year of service time. However, MLB, according to sources familiar with the situation, is proposing crediting full service if 130 games or more are played in 2020 and proportional service for a shorter season.

Blum reports that “radical solutions, such as more doubleheaders and playing deep into autumn by using enclosed stadiums and warm-weather sites, have not been thoroughly discussed yet.”

Teams have also expressed concerns with the Commissioner’s office that they may have to lay off some administrative staff if games aren’t being played soon. Since roughly $400 million is spent on signing amateur players each year, that is where they are thinking of cutting costs.

Stay tuned for more developments in the coming days and weeks as there will be plenty of news as the baseball world waits, hanging in the balance.