If the mayors of eight Arizona cities have their way, the Milwaukee Brewers and other MLB teams that call the Cactus League home for the spring will not start the season on time.

KPNX-TV in Phoenix reported Monday that the mayors of Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, Surprise, Goodyear, and Peoria, the city managers of Tempe and Phoenix, and the Salt River-Maricopa Indian Community President sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to delay the start of the spring training season because of rising COVID-19 infection rates in Arizona. The communities have worked with MLB to institute other safety protocols such as pod seating, social distancing, and contactless payment before it welcomes back fans for the first time since the pandemic hit the desert in March. 

In response to the letter, both the league and its players' association remained committed to starting spring training. That means the Brewers could take the field for game action as soon as a month from Wednesday when they host the Oakland A's at American Family Fields of Phoenix and travel to Camelback Ranch to face the Chicago White Sox.