DENVER – Colorado Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said he supports Ian Desmond’s decision to stay out of the 2020 season to focus on his young family and help rejuvenate youth baseball in his hometown of Florida.
Bridich said he had a couple of recent conversations with the outfielder, who announced his decision in a long and candid Instagram post on Monday night.
Desmond, 34, wrote that “the COVID-19 pandemic has made this baseball season one that is a risk I am not comfortable with.” The slugger, who is biracial, also mentioned countless problems within baseball, including sexism, homophobia, and socioeconomic concerns, as well as the racial calculus that emerged after George Floyd’s death while in police custody in Minneapolis sparked protests in all the world.
“The conversations with Ian felt exactly the same as his written words to me,” said Bridich, “which is heartfelt and heartfelt … I didn’t know I was going to write something as thoughtful and thorough as [he did], but I’m not surprised. “
Desmond, who hit .255 with 20 home runs in 140 games last season, had to pay $ 5,555,556 for the prorated portion of his $ 15 million salary, part of a five-year, $ 70 million contract. He is owed $ 8 million next year, and his agreement includes a $ 15 million equipment option by 2022 with a purchase of $ 2 million.
Choosing not to participate this summer does not affect your status in 2021 or your relationship with Bridich.
“Ian is extremely attentive in what he does, he is thoughtful in how he prepares himself as a professional athlete, he is considerate as a husband and father … he is considerate about things that are bigger than him,” Bridich said. “And up to this point, the benchmark has been the team or the clubhouse or the locker room, or things that affect the organization, their charity work, passion projects outside of the baseball game.”
“He is willing to put a lot of time, energy and thought into all the things he does. And so when you have someone like that, a professional athlete who is in the thick of it every day and who tries to do the same thing as best he can to keeping your end of the bargain as an athlete, teammate, performer, and then always willing to think of other people on the team, in the organization, and outside the organization, it’s easy to attract people like that. “
Desmond complained about the lack of diversity in baseball and criticized the clubhouse environment, saying it includes racism, sexism and homophobia. Bridich said Desmond did not specifically complain about the Rockies clubhouse, but Bridich acknowledged that the organization could be more diverse.
In his Instagram post, Desmond said he has been sharing more of his thoughts and experiences as a biracial man since Floyd’s death on May 25. Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died after a white police officer held his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than seven minutes.
Desmond said his mind started racing during a recent visit to Sarasota baseball fields where he played as a child. He wrote about how they looked sloppy and sloppy and how important youth baseball was to him as a kid.
Desmond said he wants to help Sarasota Youth Baseball get back to normal.
It’s a big loss for Colorado, which put Desmond on the restricted list on Tuesday and agreed to a minor league deal with Matt Kemp. The veteran slugger has a .327 batting average with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs in 86 career games at the downtown Denver baseball stadium.
“Yes, we are aware of the damage it has done against us,” Bridich said of Kemp.
Kemp, who is expected to arrive in Denver on Thursday, will have to earn his place on the list, and will benefit from the National League using the designated hitter when professional baseball tries to start the coronavirus-delayed season in late July.
“DH is an obvious benefit in terms of its potential place on our major league roster,” said Bridich. “That would be the case, whether Ian has chosen or not, and again, he’s a right-handed power bat. He has an idea of the strike zone, have we seen him for how many years? And he’s highly motivated to return to field and continue his career and play well. Whether he’s in the outfield or just at DH, we have to let a few weeks pass before we can make decisions like that. “
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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