Major League Baseball has decided to go ahead with plans for a 60-game 2020 season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), but some players are making the decision not to participate. As part of the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) league and health and safety protocols COVID-19, any MLB player can choose not to participate in the 2020 60 game season.
First baseman Ryan Zimmerman and right-hander Joe Ross, teammates at the 2019 Washington National World Series champions, became the last players to decide to stay out of the shortened baseball season, the team announced Monday. The pair joins Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Leake. Leake became the first known MLB player to unsubscribe when he announced his decision Monday.
Zimmerman, 35, had been hesitant about his decision to play this season. He told the Associated Press that there were many complicated factors in the decision, citing his newborn baby and his mother, who has multiple sclerosis and would be considered a high-risk person.
“After much thought and consideration of my family’s circumstances, three young children, including a newborn and a high-risk mother, decided not to participate in the 2020 season,” Zimmerman said in a statement released by his agency.
Zimmerman will give up his $ 6.25 million salary (which would have been approximately $ 2.3 million in prorated pay for 60 games) in 2020. It is unclear whether Zimmerman plans to resume his major league career in 2021, but the veteran National said that not yet retired.
“To be clear, I’m not retiring right now. I haven’t decided on my future in baseball after 2020,” said Zimmerman, who debuted with the Nationals in his first season (2005) and has been with the franchise ever since.
Ross, 27, was expected to be a candidate for the Nationals’ final rotation position. Ross will give up his $ 1.5 million salary for 2020 before starting his last year of salary arbitration in 2021.
In addition to the players who chose not to participate, the Minnesota Twins recently confirmed that two of their coaches would be out of the season for health and safety reasons. The Twins’ bullpen coach Bob McClure, 68, and MLB coach Bill Evers, 66, would be considered high-risk individuals. The team’s decision came after physical exams that took into account both their age and pre-existing conditions. Both coaches will continue to be paid for the 2020 season.
As part of the MLB return-to-game plan, high-risk players (those with pre-existing medical conditions or compromised immune systems are at increased risk for serious illness due to COVID-19) may decide not to participate in the 2020 season at any time and they would receive both their full salary and season service time.
MLB also included an opt-out option for players who may have high-risk family members. For that group, the decision of whether or not they would receive salary or length of service will depend on each individual team.
MLB and MLBPA have agreed on a “spring” training that begins on July 1 and a regular season that begins on July 23.
