GLENDALE, Ariz. – It might take 40 years but baseball’s Midsummer Classic could be heading back to Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers have not hosted an All-Star Game since 1980 but Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten confirmed the team has been aggressively working to bring the event back to Los Angeles.

“We want it for the fans,” Kasten said. “We obviously are very interested as we have been since the day we got here. We’ve had a lot of conversations. I think the conversations have been good. I think we’re making progress on putting everything in place to get the game.

“I don’t want to say what year yet but we are working on getting the very first one we can.”

That would be 2020, the 40th anniversary of the last All-Star Game hosted by the Dodgers. This year’s game will be played at Nationals Park and the 2019 game has been awarded to the Cleveland Indians. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters at last week’s Cactus League Media Day that he expects to announce hosts for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 All-Star Games “in the near future.” MLB has traditionally tried to alternate National League and American League cities.

The Los Angeles City Council agreed to a motion Wednesday that authorizes a contract between the Dodgers and the city to use city resources associated with the event. The Dodgers will pay the city $100,000 if Dodger Stadium is selected to host the game in 2020.

According to councilman Gil Cedillo, MLB officials will be in Los Angeles to evaluate Dodger Stadium as a potential All-Star host. Since 1980, the satellite events around the game itself have grown tremendously, requiring more facilities and resources.

The city council motion cites $89.4 million in economic impact from hosting the All-Star Game. The NBA All-Star Game was just played in Los Angeles last month. The Angels have hosted the game three times – two times since it was last played at Dodger Stadium (1989 and 2010).

GLENDALE GRUNGE

A handful of players who were out sick on Wednesday were back in camp Thursday – Josh Fields, Kenta Maeda, Yasiel Puig and Donovan Solano among them. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said there were still more than a dozen players who missed a second day of workouts due to the flu-like symptoms that hit more than 25 players and staff members. Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Kike’ Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Hyun-Jin Ryu were among the group still out. Ross Stripling was scheduled to start Thursday’s Cactus League game but was sent home sick.

Fields said his symptoms – chills, body ache – were not as severe as some of his teammates. Everyone was checked for the flu, he said, but the results were negative.

“Hopefully, it’s just a one-day thing,” Fields said.

For most players, a few days absence won’t be a big issue. But Roberts acknowledged it is “a minor setback” for starting pitchers like Ryu (who was scratched from his first scheduled start of the spring Wednesday) and Maeda (who missed a between-starts bullpen session).

“It is a setback when you’re looking at a starting pitcher getting built up,” Roberts said. “It’s so specific to starting pitchers. But I’m sure we still have time to recoup that time.”

CLOSING TIME

Kenley Jansen was in camp both Wednesday and Thursday but said he had a mild version of the illness sidelining many of his teammates. Jansen said he was still feeling a little fatigued after not sleeping well.

Nonetheless, he threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session to minor-leaguers Starling Heredia, Johan Mieses and Cody Thomas Thursday. It was just Jansen’s second time throwing to hitters this spring and he is not scheduled to pitch in a Cactus League game until March 9. That might be one of only two games he appears in this spring as the Dodgers ease him into the season after heavy workloads each of the past two postseasons.

Jansen wasn’t sharp in the first simulated inning Thursday and said he has some work to do with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt “to get my arm to catch up to my lower body.”

“Every year I have that,” Jansen said. “I’m not even worrying about that anymore or stressing about it. It’s just a process I have to go through. Being a big guy, you just have to make sure everything get back to where it used to be.”