Major League Baseball, like many sports leagues around the world, has been shut down indefinitely because of the growing threat that is the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Spring training has been suspended and Opening Day has been pushed back to at least Darius Slayton Jersey mid May, and that remains subject to change as the situation develops.Whenever baseball does return, . That is still true even after . Among the biggest questions remaining: how many games will play in 2020? The answer could be zero. I hope not, but it's po sible.The tentative plan right now calls for picking up the schedule at whichever point Opening Day arrives. That's what CEO Derrick Hall told reporters, , when the shutdown was announced, . Generating a new schedule is a logistical nightmare because:Venues have already been booked.Team travel arrangements have already been made.Tickets (and commercial time) have been sold.Organizing a major league season is a ma sive undertaking that requires months of planning. It's not something MLB can slap together in two weeks during spring training. The schedule will stay as-is with two caveats: MLB and the MLBPA want to play as many games as po sible, and the league wants every team to play the same number of games to maintain competitive integrity. With all that in mind, here are five ways MLB and the MLBPA could maximize the number of games played in 2020 once the regular season begins, whenever that is.1. Schedule weekly doubleheadersThe most obvious solution and something that is very much on the table. The MLBPA rejected doubleheaders following the 1995 work stoppage, which is why they played only 144 games that season, but the union is apparently open to them now. Some players even told they're willing to play doubleheaders per week."In theory, yeah, I think all of us would be up for some sort of doubleheader situation," . "The thing that's going to be in front of all of us is New York Giants Hoodies Sweatshirts it's going to be the same for everybody. It's got to make sense for the clubs and the players." Two doubleheaders per week is exce sive -- teams would e sentially need a seven-man rotation -- even with expanded rosters, but one doubleheader per week would help. Make every Saturday doubleheader day -- all MLB has to do is add a game to the series already being played -- and you get what, 6, 8, 10, 12 extra games? I have no idea, it'll depend on when the season begins, but Saturday doubleheaders seem like the easiest way to add games.. Minor league doubleheaders include two seven-inning games, though the minors are about development, not wins and lo ses. A seven-inning game would fundamentally change a major league contest. Teams would use their bullpens very differently. Seven-inning doubleheaders are po sible but unlikely.2. Eliminate (some) off-daysReplacing common off-days with games is a good idea, in theory, but it is much easier said than done. Let's a sume, for argument's sake, the regular season will begin July 1st. Here are the common off-days the defending World Series champion have with the opponent they just faced or the opponent they are about to face: Mon., July 6: can stay in Washington an extra day or can come in a day earlyThurs., July 30: Rockies can stay in Washington an extra dayMon., Aug. 24: can come into Washington a day earlyMon., Sept. 1: can come into Washington a day earlyMon. Sept. 14: Nationals can stay an extra day in Miami or can come into Washington a day earlyThat's it, only five extra games in three months of baseball, and that's not factoring in all the logistical headaches. That Aug. 24 game? The Mets would be flying in from Oakland. You'd be asking them to fly acro s the country, lose three hours, and then play a game the very next day. It's not fair. It's neither fair nor safe for the players, really.Also, the collective bargaining agreement includes scheduling guidelines that mandate off-days. Teams aren't allowed to play more than 20 consecutive days, and only once per season can a team play a day game on the West Coast one day and a night game on the East Coast the next. The Mets would have to do that in our hypothetical Graham Gano Jersey Aug. 24 game in Washington.Using common off-days to play games could work in some cases and add a handful of games to the schedule throughout season. It is not a viable league-wide solution, however. Even if the MLBPA is willing to relax the CBA mandated scheduling rules, replacing off-days with games on a wide-scale basis is not logistically po sible. "Nothing's off the table for us right now," . "I think we are open Saquon Barkley Jersey , and we've had some really positive conversations with our players' a sociation about relaxing some of the rules that govern our schedule. They're very focused on returning to play and playing as many games as po sible. 3. Cancel the All-Star breakThis feels inevitable and, because of that, . Get everyone excited for the return of baseball with an All-Star Opening Day and use those four days in July to play regular season games. The All-Star travel cuts into spring training, not the regular season, and we still get an All-Star Game. That's good. No All-Star Game would be lame.Of course, the season has to begin before the All-Star break (scheduled for July 13-16) for canceling the All-Star Game to even matter. If the season doesn't begin until, say, August 1, then this doesn't help at all. MLB could still play an All-Star Opening Day in that case, but those four days would be lost to the shutdown and not available for regular season games. "The players are open to having a discu sion about just about everything," . "Obviously the calendar is going to dictate a lot of what can and cannot be done. But right now no door is closed." 4. Extend the season into October (and play longer series)This has been discu sed so much in recent weeks that it feels inevitable. MLB could play the existing schedule out, then add more regular season games in October, and push the postseason back into November. Even if they have to play games at neutral sites to avoid open-air stadiums in cold weather cities, so be it. They want to get those extra games in.If the regular season is indeed extended into October, MLB would be smart to play longer series and reduce travel. Rather than the customary three-game series, send teams into cities for five or six games at a time. Le s travel equals le s wear and tear for the players, and also fewer logistical i sues because teams would be making fewer travel arrangements on short notice. There needs to be a conversation about the safety of pushing the postseason into November Evan Engram Jersey -- give players one fewer month to recover in the offseason and you're putting them at increased risk of injury in 2021 -- and that's something MLB and the MLBPA will have to consider when extending the schedule. Playing extra regular season games in October is very much on the table though.5. Shorten the postseasonThere is almost zero chance