MLB commissioner Rob Manfred: Having no season would be 'devastating' for baseball

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in an appearance on CNN on Thursday night that not playing a baseball season would be “devastating” for teams, and that losses could approach $4 billion.

Manfred made the comments during an interview on CNN Global Town Hall with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, yet expressed optimism that MLB and its Players Association will come to an agreement amid the coronavirus crisis.

"If we don't play a season, the losses for the [club] owners could approach $4 billion," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says about the economic impact of coronavirus on the sport.#CNNTownHall https://t.co/e4xneYOMDI pic.twitter.com/glHTd4XkHo

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) May 15, 2020

MLB submitted a proposal on Monday that would shorten the season to 82 games and requested a revenue sharing split. In March, players agreed to a pro-rated salary reduction. Prominent pitchers like Trevor Bauer and Blake Snell already have expressed their dissent, with Bauer calling it “laughable” and Snell saying the “risk is through the roof.”

'It’s time to get together and do a good thing for our country'; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred optimistic that baseball will return. https://t.co/HT59AIJCxm

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 15, 2020

Here’s Blake Snell discussing MLB’s revenue split proposal this afternoon on Twitch. pic.twitter.com/CCyCai42Aj

— John Flanigan (@jflan816) May 13, 2020

“I think it’s hopeful that we will have some Major League Baseball this summer,” Manfred said. “We are making plans about playing in empty stadiums but, as I’ve said before, all of those plans are dependent on what the public health situation is and us reaching the conclusion that it will be safe for our players and other employees to come back to work.”

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says it's clear fans are missing baseball, based on their response.

But can the sport return amid the coronavirus pandemic — and will MLB and the players be able to come to a financial agreement to do so? https://t.co/y98aoFiADF

— CNN International (@cnni) May 15, 2020

Manfred expressed “great confidence” that MLB and the union will come to a resolution, emphasizing that the league has “extraordinarily detailed” protocols that cover travel, access to ballparks and player isolation in the case of a positive test.

Manfred also said he has spoken to the governors of all 18 states that MLB has teams, saying that most “expressed hope” that teams would be able to use their home facilities, “of course, initially without fans” for games starting in July but that the league has contingency plans to play elsewhere.

Manfred said MLB also plans to do daily temperature checks and symptom analysis and multiple tests a week for covid-19. Manfred said MLB has converted a minor-league testing lab in Utah that can produce a 24-hour turnaround on tests.

“So we feel comfortable that by doing multiple tests a week and trying to minimize that turnaround time we’re doing everything humanly possible to make sure the players are safe,” Manfred said.

“We hope that we will be able to convince the vast majority of our players that it’s safe to return to work. At the end of the day, however, if there’s players with either health conditions or just their own personal doubts, we would never try to force them to try to come back to work. They can wait until they feel they’re ready to come.”