Report: Mariners could temporarily play home games in Arizona

With government officials in each state keeping close tabs on the spread of the coronavirus, the Seattle Mariners could be sticking around the Valley past spring training.

According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, the Mariners have discussed playing home games in Arizona if the coronavirus forces Washington state officials to “impose restrictions to prohibit events on the scale of Major League Baseball in the Seattle area.”

While there have reportedly been discussions among the Mariners organization, no alternative scheduling plan has been finalized, per Drellich.

The baseball season begins in just over two weeks and includes games in Seattle. Of the 29 known deaths in the U.S., 24 have been in the Seattle area, with 19 tied to a single nursing home.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state is preparing for potentially tens of thousands of cases, based on estimates of the spread of the disease.

MLB anticipates government officials will decide whether it is safe to play in front of fans in each city. If changes to the schedule are necessary, MLB would make determinations at the point when a ballpark has been ruled out.

The Mariners’ first opponents of the season are the Texas Rangers, who also have a spring training home in the Valley.

“I know the season starts in Seattle, and we know how Seattle is right now,” Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos told The Associated Press. “That’s 2.5 weeks from now, so I think we’re going to hear some news when we’re getting close to Opening Day.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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