Mets to host spring training at Citi Field amid Florida COVID outbreak

With the 2020 season in limbo, the Mets would host spring training at Citi Field should it occur. The news comes on the heels of multiple reports of COVID-19 outbreaks at facilities in Florida and Arizona. MLB asked all teams to close their spring training facilities yesterday after reports surfaced of Phillies, Blue Jays, Giants, and Astros players and staff testing positive for COVID-19.

The plan comes with hurdles, as teams would have to adjust their normal spring training routine to comply with local health regulations and condense their practice onto one field. The biggest hurdle of all lies at the negotiating table, as owners and players have yet to agree upon terms for a potential season.

The start of the season looked dead in the water and suddenly resuscitated only a few days ago thanks amid contentious negotiations, and now the season faces its original challenge. COVID was sure to impact the season’s restart in some way, and now it has even affected the preseason.