It is extremely common to hear about a player who opts for baseball. Stars have often had exclusion clauses for the last year of their deals, and in recent years many have been given the choice to opt out after just a year or two of a massive contract. At the end of each spring, guests not on the list choose to look for a better opportunity elsewhere.
But this season, those two words take on a different meaning.
Under a March deal reached by MLB and the Players Association, high-risk players may choose not to participate in 2020 due to coronavirus concerns and still receive a payment. Players who are not considered high risk may also choose not to participate while submitting their 2020 wages and service time.
On the first day of the week that MLB was scheduled to return, four players chose not to participate. Here is a summary of where the list is currently located:
Mike Leake (starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks)
The 32-year-old was the first to make his intentions publicly known. Leake’s agent told reporters that the law “took into account countless factors, many of which are personal to him and his family.” It has been speculated that Leake had family concerns; Her father was paralyzed in an accident a few years ago, and that’s partly why he ended up close to home with the Diamondbacks.
Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals first baseman)
Zimmerman is exactly the type of player you would think of when it comes to guys who had to make a tough decision in the past few weeks. He is 35 years old and now a part-time player, and he is ready for life financially and got his ring last October. In a statement released by his agency, he made clear that these are concerns for his family, which includes a mother with multiple sclerosis:
pic.twitter.com/xlWn1V9sLP
– CAA Baseball (@CAA_Baseball) June 29, 2020
Joe Ross (Nationals starting pitcher)
Ross, a 27-year-old Bay Area native who is Tyson’s younger brother, also retired on Monday. He did not immediately issue a statement. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Zimmerman and Ross decided “not to participate in the 2020 season for the personal health and safety of themselves and their loved ones. We are 100 percent supportive of their decision not to play this year.”
Ian Desmond (Rockies outfielder)
The 34-year-old man announced his decision at the end of a series of Instagram posts that examined injustices in baseball and society. It was a powerful statement, and one that you should read in its entirety here:
Tyson Ross (free agent starting pitcher)
It was a surprise when Ross was released by the Giants last week. As a veteran who could start or exit the bullpen, he seemed like a good fit for what they were building in March, and a better fit in one season without a true five-man rotation. But this seems to explain the decision:
Tyson Ross, currently a free agent, will join his brother Joe, a Nats pitcher, to sit this season. Both pitchers have given it a lot of thought. His father is a doctor, his mother a nurse.
– Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 2, 2020
David Price (Dodgers pitcher)
The biggest name in MLB to date to retire, Price announced his decision to opt out of the 2020 season on social media over the holiday weekend. The left-hander was not specific about the reasoning behind this, but said the decision was in the “best interest of my health and the health of my family.”
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– David Price (@ DAVIDprice24) July 4, 2020
Felix Hernández (Pitcher of the Braves)
Another former Cy Young Award winner decided not to play during the 2020 MLB season.
Felix Hernandez, who won the 2010 AL Cy Young while with the Seattle Mariners, will not be dressing for the Atlanta Braves this season, the agent tweeted Saturday night.
Felix hernández with fear of COVID-19, will not play in the 2020 season, Felix hernández with fear of Covid -19 does not feel well to play in the 2020 season
– Wilfredo Polidor (@ wpolidor19) July 5, 2020
Félix Hernández has chosen to exit the 2020 season due to concerns about COVID-19, his agent Wilfredo Polidor of Octagon said.
– Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 5, 2020
After spending the first 15 seasons of his career with the Mariners, Hernández signed a minor league contract with Atlanta this offseason. He will turn 35 next April, when the 2021 season of the MLB is expected to begin.
