Rays owner Stuart Sternberg focused on 2021 uncertainties, Montreal plan

Like many others, Sternberg expected more clarity by now about next season, such as whether teams will play a full 162-game schedule and if spring training camps will open as planned in mid-February and the season on April 1. But those details and others remain fluid due to coronavirus concerns and distribution of the vaccine over the next few months, a period he calls “the storm before the calm,” with the chance “get some normalcy back into everyday life.”

Sternberg is not sure if or how many fans will be allowed for the Rays’ scheduled April 9 home opener vs. the Yankees but feels “pretty confident that come the summer we’re going to be able to have in as many fans as would like to be at our ballpark.”

He noted — ”tongue in cheek, but it’s the truth” — the Rays likely could do so with social-distancing restrictions in place, though they would be happy to adjust if demand increases: “Most of our games are attended by less than 10,000 people, so we could probably for the most part run a normal stadium operation.”