Players will report to camps by July 1 and play a 60-game season starting on July 23 or 24 in empty ballparks.
The last hurdle — an agreement on health and safety protocols — was cleared Tuesday night, some three-plus months after spring training was stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The regular-season schedule will feature both divisional and interleague play, for which teams will play only within their corresponding geographical division to mitigate travel. The league also said the majority of teams are expected to conduct preseason training in their home cities.
Each team will play 10 games against each of its four division rivals and four games vs. each of the five clubs in the corresponding division in the other league.
A team is scheduled to make only one trip to each city it visits in MLB’s shortest season since 1878, a schedule of such brevity that some fans might question the legitimacy of records.
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers reopened as 7-2 favorites to win the World Series title, according to Caesars Sportsbook. The Houston Astros are third favorites at 11-1.
On Monday, the league’s owners voted to implement a 60-game season that would begin around July 24. After the vote, MLB asked the union whether players would be able to report to training camps by July 1 and whether the union would agree on the health and safety protocols.
It remains to be seen which players will report back to work — high-risk individuals are allowed to opt out and still receive salary and service time, but others who sit out get neither money nor the service credit needed for eligibility for free agency and salary arbitration.
