Even with some of the details unsettled until late Tuesday, the expectation that baseball will return July 1 with a second “spring training” left A’s outfielder Ramón Laureano with mixed feelings.
“I feel happy for sure,” Laureano said via text Tuesday, “but I don’t expect anything until I’m actually at the field to play, because I don’t know anything these days.”
Among the unsettled factors for the A’s: The Alameda County health department had to sign off on using the Coliseum and the team had to work out its rent dispute. Multiple sources told The Chronicle on Tuesday that both matters have been resolved.
Alameda County’s most recent COVID-19 health orders do not address professional sports. Religious and cultural events of fewer than 100 people may meet in indoor facilities, but the county recommends crowds of no more than 25. College sports workouts are limited to 12 participants.
On Monday, however, the county’s Health Care Services Agency informed the team that it may begin using the Coliseum after some agreed-upon modifications.
“We are pleased to share that the A’s may resume operations and on-field practice as of June 26, 2020, and games without spectators may commence after July 3, 2020,” HCSA director Colleen Chawla wrote in Monday’s letter to the team.
In addition, the A’s have agreed to pay their full rent and are in the process of doing so.
“We feel comfortable that we will be able to work out in our facility,” said one team official, who was not at liberty to speak on the record because MLB’s safety protocol had not yet been officially approved by the players’ union.
The A’s are expected to bring about 40-45 players to Oakland for workouts beginning July 1, with the remainder of the anticipated 60 players allowed heading to Stockton to work out at the team’s Class A facility. Workouts would be staggered as much as possible to prove for maximum physical distancing and the team primarily will hold intrasquad scrimmages during the three weeks of training, with the possibility of three exhibition games against the Giants before the regular season starts near the end of July.
A season schedule isn’t expected for seven to 10 days but is expected to have teams playing within their own division and against the same division in the opposing league to minimize travel (in the A’s case, AL West playing NL West).
Games without fans “will be weird,” Laureano said, “but at the end of the day, you’ve got to throw that out of the way and really focus on the job, because without noises, people sometimes get distracted a little bit more instead of just reacting and not thinking too much.”
The A’s went into spring training in February coming off back-to-back 97-win seasons and primed for another postseason trip, but an extremely short season will be difficult to handicap. Any club that breaks out of the gate hot will have an enormous advantage.
“We feel dangerous at any time,” Laureano said. “But the main thing is getting off to a fast start, because that will set the tone for the rest of the year.”
Susan Slusser covers the A’s for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser
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A's can get back to work - and they can use the Coliseum - San Francisco Chronicle
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