Should MLB punish the Marlins for their positive tests?

Jorge Alfaro (right) (Ian D'Andrea, Wikimedia Commons)

The Miami Marlins now have 18 positive cases of coronavirus according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. They currently have 16 positive cases among players and two positive cases among coaches.

Earlier this week, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred downplayed the significance of the situation, and stated they were not yet in the  “nightmare category.” He believed that the season would be able to continue, and explained that one of the reasons why expanded rosters were put into place in 2020, was to deal with a possible outbreak. In 2020, Major League Baseball teams have 60-man player pools, and 30-man rosters.

However, one might wonder if Manfred envisioned a serious issue like the Marlins are dealing with at the moment. One cannot ignore the fact that the team is based in the coronavirus epicenter in the world at the moment. There are currently 451, 423 total cases of coronavirus in the state of Florida alone. There are also 401, 429 active cases, and 6335 total deaths.

In the last week, Major League Baseball has had to readjust its schedule because of the Marlins situation. Miami will not play until Monday at the earliest. Their series this week against the Baltimore Orioles has been postponed, as well as their weekend series against the Washington Nationals.

The Philadelphia Phillies, who hosted the Marlins this past weekend, have also seen their series this week against the New York Yankees postponed. The Phillies needed to fumigate the Marlins locker room, and get tested for coronavirus themselves. Philadelphia has had no positive tests this week, after having a series of positive tests during their training sessions in Florida earlier this month. The Yankees will now play the Orioles in a two-game series Wednesday and Thursday.

One must wonder what does Major League Baseball decide to do if the Marlins cannot get their coronavirus situation under control. According to Pauly Howard of VSiN, one option might be to kick the Marlins out of the 2020 season, or have them forfeit the games that they were unable to play.

At first glance, that might be a drastic measure. However, Howard cited the Major League Soccer is Back Tournament in delivering his argument. He stated that FC Dallas and SC Nashville withdrew from the tournament after a combined 19 positive tests. Major League Soccer was then able to continue with 24 teams, and have an outstanding tournament this month in central Florida.

Should the Marlins be penalized as a result? At this time, I think it would be too harsh for Major League Baseball to take the measures that Howard is suggesting.

Major League Baseball is facing additional challenges to keep its players safe. First and foremost, having players be in airports on a regular basis can definitely lead to coronavirus cases.  Let us see how things materialize, and give MLB more time to see if their protocol plans they have in place actually work. At this time, the verdict is still out.

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