Tech Talk

MLB is ready for its 2021 season after surviving its harrowing 60-game one last year. Baseball stadiums won't be full and there will still be plenty of COVID protocols in place, but by-in-large the game should look similar to how it has in years past.

As America's favorite pastime you can bet fans are ready to see a full, 162-game season again and get the full baseball experience. Likely, the limited capacity stadiums will sell out quickly.

The off-season this year produced a number of interesting developments. The Padres were one of the biggest winners, acquiring Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Ha-Seong Kim, and spending $340 million to lock up Fernando Tatis Jr. for 14 years. Of course, after winning the World Series last year, the Dodgers won't let the NL West division go without a fight.

How to watch the MLB 2020 season from anywhere

There is no surefire way to catch every MLB game, but there are plenty of ways below that should work for people in some way. For those that can't find something just right, you can try a VPN. It can be one of the most useful ways to watch all the games. There are tons of MLB blackouts and restrictions in place for these games so this should help.

That's where one of the best VPNs (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.

VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service's 30-day money back guarantee. Looking for more options?

Here are some other VPNs that are on sale right now.

How to stream the MLB 2020 Season online in the U.S.

How you actually watch the MLB 2021 season will depend on what teams and games you want to watch, as well as where you are located. If a VPN isn't right, you can try these options. The MLB 2021 season will air games on ESPN, ESPN+, TBS, Fox, MLB Network, MLB.TV, and more. There are also some local channels for various teams, like NESN for the Red Sox, YES Network for the Yankees, and more.

You can find most of these channels included in various online streaming services. The top two picks are Sling and Hulu with Live TV and Fubo.

• Sling TV - $30 per month - In order to get access to ESPN, you'll have to sign up for Sling TV's Sling Orange package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record live TV with its Cloud DVR.
• FuboTV - $64.99 per month - FuboTV offers access to six MLB team streams and happens to be the ONLY provider streaming the Houston Astros this year.
• Hulu with Live TV - $64.99 per month - As well as giving you access to ESPN, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
• YouTube TV - $64.99 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to ESPN as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.

MLB also has its own popular service, MLB.TV which can stream every game, minus the local team's games. There are three different plan options available, with prices starting at just $24.99 for one-month of access. There are a lot of blackout restrictions while using the service, though, so you may want to consider pairing MLB.TV with a VPN, like ExpressVPN mentioned above in order to be able to access your local games easier.

How to watch MLB 2020 season in the UK

If you reside in the UK and want to keep up with the MLB season this year, BT Sport is the place to go. The network will be airing a variety of games, so be sure to check out the full schedule for what will be available.

MLB and Year Two of COVID

The 2020 season was cut to only 60 games and included an extended playoff structure. The 2021 season is largely back to normal with a full schedule of 162 games. There is no longer a designated hitter in the National League like there was in 2020. There's also no longer an extended playoff schedule which means few teams will make the postseason come September.

There are still plenty of COVID protocols in place for testing and quarantining based on exposure. If there's a double-header, the 7-inning regulation is one new rule that did last as a holdover from the previous year. With any luck, as restrictions ease, there will be fans in the seats come summer time.