Mariners expected to reopen Peoria complex for voluntary workouts next week
Following two months of uncertainty, the Seattle Mariners are expected to reopen their spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. next week for voluntary informal workouts.
The Seattle Times first reported this plan Friday following confirmation from Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto. The complex will reportedly open to individual and small groups either Monday or Tuesday.
The Mariners’ complex has been closed since March 19, when the club opted to have players and staff return to their offseason homes instead of remaining in Arizona for limited workouts.
When the Mariners decided to shut down operations, there were about 10-12 players showing up for optional workouts, and only a few staff members working with each group, Dipoto said in March.
MLB suspended spring training a week prior to the club shutting down its facility. The baseball season has been on hold since, though the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association are currently in talks to possibly return to the field by July, with teams ideally resuming full spring training workouts in June.
The Mariners have not announced where they would hold full squad workouts — MLB has given teams the option to hold workouts at their home stadiums, or at their facilities in Arizona or Florida — but the Peoria complex seems the most likely option given the current restrictions on gatherings in Washington state due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
T-Mobile Park will remain closed in compliance with Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order, which is currently set to expire at the end of the month.
While 14 of the 39 counties in Washington have been approved to move onto the second phase of the state’s reopening plan, Inslee clarified Friday on Twitter that “not every county will be ready to move to Phase 2 on June 1,” citing infection rates.
King County, where Seattle’s stadium is located, has both the highest case and death counts in the state, reporting 7,669 cases, 1,547 hospitalizations and 542 deaths as of Friday evening.
Large sporting events with fans, such as Mariners games, are not allowed to resume until Phase 4 of Inslee’s plan, which could begin in July at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said earlier this month professional sports could resume without fans in his state, as long as guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are followed, opening the door for the Mariners to return to Peoria.
““We have had discussions with leaders of some of these leagues and they all know they are welcome to operate, play and perform in the state of Arizona,” Ducey said on May 12.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 5:46 PM.
