As Major League Baseball approaches its return, several players have been forced to struggle with a difficult decision: Is the risk of exposure to the coronavirus worth it?
On Monday, veteran Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Mike Leake became the first player to definitely say no, it’s not worth risking your health and the health of loved ones to play baseball during a pandemic. Joe Ross and Ryan Zimmerman, two members of the Washington Nationals, also decided not to play in 2020. Last week, Zimmerman, whose mother has multiple sclerosis, explained that deciding whether to play is a complex decision that will weigh heavily on multiple players.
As MLB teams prepare to meet for boot camp this week and finish the rosters this week, we are likely to see more players decide to skip the 2020 season. Players who are medically determined to be high risk have the option to stay out of season and continue to receive salary and service time, according to the league’s operations manual. However, the same margin does not exist for players who have a high-risk relative. If a player with a high-risk relative sits outside, he won’t be guaranteed salary or length of service, with teams handling those decisions, according to The Athletic.
Ryan Zimmerman has chosen to exit the 2020 season for the Washington Nationals. (Photo by Alex Trautwig / MLB photos via Getty Images)
Two national players will not play in 2020
Zimmerman and Ross, two members of the Nationals’ World Series winning team, will not be returning this year.
Zimmerman, 35, is an original Nationals player and clubhouse leader who was chosen to return this season with a one-year, $ 2 million contract. Zimmerman wrote an article for the Associated Press last week, discussing the decision he was making. Here’s a statement he released Monday through his agent:
Ross, 27, thought he would be the fifth starter for the Nationals, but will not play instead, Yahoo Sports confirmed. Ross divided time last season between the bullpen and the Nationals’ rotation.
Mike Leake becomes the first player to unsubscribe
D-backs GM Mike Hazen confirmed Leake’s decision Monday to choose not to participate in the season. Leake, a trusted rotation stalwart who has started at least 20 games in each season since his 2010 debut, joined the D-backs in a July 2019 exchange. A statement from Leake’s agent said “it was not a easy decision. ” It will stray away from the $ 5.6 million it would have earned in a 60-game season.
Mike Leake will become a free agent after the 2020 season. Here is an explanation of his exclusion from his agent, Danny Horwits. pic.twitter.com/dtlZm4OC5E
– Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 29, 2020
Not accruing service time wouldn’t be a concern for the 32-year-old right-hander, who has already arrived in free agency and was entering the final year of a guaranteed $ 80 million contract. An option 2021 and the purchase of the contract will be maintained.
What the players fight with
A player who chose to stay out of the season was inevitable. With more than 40 cases of COVID-19 around MLB already confirmed, it is clear that the league will not be able to escape the virus. You will have to do everything possible to handle a situation that, frankly, has not been handled well on many levels for almost four months.
The real question is how many players will choose to participate in the MLB 60 game campaign. Also, how will each respective team react to the decision? We will keep you informed as those decisions come.
