MLB commissioner Rob Manfred appeared on CNN on Thursday to discuss the league’s outlook amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Among the things he spoke about, Manfred outlined the total financial risk he believes the league faces if the season has to be canceled.
“The economic effects are devastating, frankly, for the clubs,” Manfred said. “We’re a big business, but we’re a seasonal business and, unfortunately, this crisis began at the low point for us in terms of revenue. We hadn’t quite started our season yet and if we don’t play a season, the losses for the owners could approach $4 billion.”
The current plan being discussed with the MLB Players Association revolves around playing a shortened season with zero fans in the stands.
Manfred also outlined some of the details for MLB’s testing system.