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According to Jeff Passan a source has told ESPN, Major League Baseball has informed it’s teams that they will begin the 2021 season with alternate training sites. As a result, the beginning of the Triple-A season will be delayed at least one month.

Triple-A clubs now expect to begin their season around the first week of May, similar to the lower levels of the minors, and will run into September to make up for the lost games.

The Mets Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Mets, were originally scheduled to have their season begin on April 6. Their first game is now scheduled for May 4 at home vs Scranton.

Delaying the season should ultimately help make everyone safer. As Passan notes, teams are hoping this will allow for the vaccination of players before they report to their minor league affiliates and help limit the exposure to COVID-19 through travel.

Passan says this would ultimately “allay concerns with teams about players arriving from minor league sites and immediately joining clubs without a quarantine period.”

It is not yet known exactly how many players will be at the alternate training sites, however sources have told ESPN, they expect about “two dozen players,” which is about the size of a Triple-A roster. Passan notes that unlike last season, it is expected that alternate sites will be made up of veterans and prospects on the cusps of the big leagues.