The MLB season has been waiting on deck amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Report: July 1 start for MLB 'optimistic'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated May 5, 2020 4:22 PM ET

On Monday, former MLB player and current podcaster Trevor Plouffe gave baseball fans yearning to see action occur at ballparks amid the COVID-19 pandemic some hope that the 2020 season could begin on July 1:

Want some good baseball news??

I just heard from multiple sources that on June 10th, Spring Training 2 will start. July 1st will be Opening Day and all teams will be playing at their home ballparks.

We’ll be discussing it in full on the next @TalkinBaseball_
— Trevor Plouffe (@trevorplouffe) May 4, 2020

Roughly 24 hours after Plouffe's report went viral among members of baseball Twitter, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman poured cold water over the story.

The alleged July 1 start date for an MLB season would be wonderful; they’d love to begin then (or close to then), but while there’s hope, things aren’t as certain as that. MLB is still hearing conflicting info from politicians and doctors, and health concerns remain the priority.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 5, 2020

MLB execs have not apprised the union of any particular proposed starting to date fir a season, and at this point, the sense is July 1 could be on the optimistic side. It isn’t ruled out but it isn’t close to a likelihood — not yet, anyway.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 5, 2020

Baseball writer Keith Law of The Athletic also said that MLB and the MLB Players Association aren't close to an agreement regarding the start of the season while speaking on Cleveland radio station 92.3 The Fan.

.@keithlaw on @BullandFox re: MLB season: "They are absolutely not" close to announcing any kind of target date. "The two sides are very cognization of the fact the public health situation doesn't allow it...then they have to figure out logistics."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) May 5, 2020

.@keithlaw on @BullandFox: "You will not see fans in ballparks this year. That's just not going to happen. I think both sides have accepted that's the case. The next time you'll see fans in ballparks for baseball games will probably be 2021."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) May 5, 2020

Plouffe backed his original report with a somewhat NSFW tweet on Tuesday afternoon.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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