This week, Major League Baseball announced that the opening of the 2020 season will be delayed due to the CDC's latest guidelines, which restrict events of more than 50 people for a matter of weeks. We are supportive of this decision as the health and safety of our fans, players, and staff is our highest priority. The situation is fluid. It evolves by the hour, and unfortunately we don't have a date we can circle on the calendar for Opening Day yet.
What we do know is that MLB will continue to share updates regarding plans for the 2020 schedule in the days and weeks ahead, and we will share news as it becomes available, along with news specific to Busch Stadium and other events.
MLB has a variety of contingency plans, and we will remain flexible with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible. When the season does begin, MLB will be committed to playing as many games as possible.
Below, is a list of topics we anticipate our fans have questions about, along with what we know at this time.
Ticketing Questions: We are working through our approach to handling ticket issues, and we will communicate details to fans soon. We appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime.
The MLB London Series: MLB continues to monitor the situation, but has not made a decision to delay or cancel the event at this time.
Status of Major and Minor League Players: Most of our major league players have returned home, with a few remaining in camp who live nearby. Our minor league players were sent home after spring training operations were suspended on Friday. Before players left, they were provided at-home training information as well as guidelines about prevention, good hygiene, and the latest travel recommendations. We will communicate with them on a regular basis to ensure their health and wellness during this time. Also, we will honor our daily allowance for minor league players.
Coronavirus Task Force: We have established an internal task force to address all aspects of this situation and its impact on the organization, our fans and the community.
Front Office Staffing: Starting this week, the St. Louis Cardinals have implemented a telework policy—requiring all front office employees to work from home, with the exception of those employees whose responsibilities require them to be present at the stadium.
Seasonal Staff: This is an important issue impacting not only the St. Louis Cardinals, but all professional sports teams. Cancelled games can hurt game day and seasonal staff particularly hard, and we are concerned about them. Yesterday, MLB announced that each of the 30 teams will be contributing $1 million into a fund that will help this group of employees. More details will follow on how the Cardinals will be administering this fund, and how others might be able to contribute to it as well.
Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines: We hope our fans stay educated on how to prevent exposure and transmission of the Coronavirus. Here is a helpful link from the CDC's website about ways to protect yourself.
See also this helpful article from MLB.com, What fans need to know about the Coronavirus.
In closing, we want to thank you for your ongoing support of our team and our city as we work through this unprecedented situation. We can't wait for the moment we are back at Busch Stadium together.
Stay safe, and we will be in touch.
Sincerely,
Bill DeWitt III
President, St. Louis Cardinals
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