Skip to content

Yankees' Britton: MLB, union have discussed '4 or 5' potential neutral sites

Paul Bereswill / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.

New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton shed some light on the possibility of getting the 2020 season underway.

In an interview with MLB Network Radio on Wednesday, Britton revealed that discussions have begun between the league and players about specific sites that could potentially host neutral-site games in a restarted season.

"I know there's sites that have already been discussed - I'm not sure if I should even say this publicly - but there's four or five sites that are up in the air that MLB and the union have slightly discussed that these are spots that have the resources, facilities, hotels that could host a major-league team if we get to that point," Britton said.

MLB canceled the remainder of spring training and suspended Opening Day in mid-March due to the growing coronavirus pandemic. There's currently no timeline for when the season could resume, although commissioner Rob Manfred has stated mid-May would be ideal.

Britton's Yankees are one team that would essentially be homeless if the season was to start soon. New York is the epicenter for COVID-19, with nearly 2,000 deaths in the state as of Wednesday, according to the New York Times.

"If we have to do that in empty stadiums for the safety of the public then that's the right move," Britton said. "Obviously I think we could possibly be a team that needs to play in a neutral site for a little while since New York's been a hotbed for this and guys are open to that."

There has been some talk of extending the season into the fall, with the World Series being played in a neutral site, either under a dome or in a warm-weather city. Britton said the sides haven't discussed many specifics about scheduling right now, as the primary concern remains making sure everyone's healthy.

"The big thing to us is using the month of October to play regular-season games and seeing where we are with expanded playoffs after that," he said. "When it comes down to scheduling we'll have those talks pretty soon, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter until we get this virus under control and cities and people are able to go back to everyday life, let alone going to watch baseball."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox