Players opting out of 2020 season

[atomic]

50 minutes ago, weams said:

 

I wouldn't consider him opting out of anything. He has had made $28 million in his career and was signed to a minor league contract. No minor leagues this season. 

[Satyr3206]

27 minutes ago, atomic said:

LOL.  Players are going to look at how much money they can get just like always. 

Making what you can is fine. I find as I get older you don't regret what you have done, you regret what you didn't do. Like playing while you can.

[spiritof66]

I'm wondering about umpires, many of whom are in their 50s and 60s. Some don't look to be in top-top shape, to put it mildly. During the course of a game, the home plate umpire will be in close range of more people than any player. (They should be thankful Earl isn't around.)

Can umpires opt out of the season? If enough of them do, or test positive, to run through the MLB umpires, what happens? Call up AAA umpires? Go with crews of three?

Another advantage to electronic umpires: they may get viruses, but they won't be contagious.

[SteveA]

7 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

I'm wondering about umpires, many of whom are in their 50s and 60s. Some don't look to be in top-top shape, to put it mildly. During the course of a game, the home plate umpire will be in close range of more people than any player. (They should be thankful Earl isn't around.)

Can umpires opt out of the season? If enough of them do, or test positive, to run through the MLB umpires, what happens? Call up AAA umpires? Go with crews of three?

Another advantage to electronic umpires: they may get viruses, but they won't be contagious.

There are certainly a ton of experienced high minor league umpires who are out of work due to the minor league shutdown this year.   So finding qualified replacements should not be hard.   Just a matter of working out the details with the umps union.

[SteveA]

David Price of the Dodgers opts out of the 2020 season.

[atomic]

1 hour ago, SteveA said:

David Price of the Dodgers opts out of the 2020 season.

Red Sox just saved $6 million dollars from that decision.  I guess with plasters opting out the MLBPA doesn’t have much of a grievance about the number of games.

[HowAboutThat]

On 6/29/2020 at 2:28 PM, SteveA said:

So far, 3 major league players have announced they are opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns:

Ariz RHP MIke Leake
Wash 1B Ryan Zimmerman
Wash RHP Joe Ross

Zimmerman cites having a newborn at home and a mother with MS.

Will be interesting to see how many major leaguers choose this route and what effect it has on the season.   I know a couple of NBA players have made similar decisions,   (And not baseball related, but Ravens All Pro TE Mark Andrews is the only active player in the NFL with Type 1 Diabetes).

This is probably been covered elsewhere, but if a player voluntarily ops out, that means he does not get paid for the season correct? And if that’s true, then David Price opting out just saved the Red Sox between 20 and $30 million? Well, the Red Sox or whoever he’s playing with these days, I forget.

[bpilktree]

1 hour ago, SteveA said:

David Price of the Dodgers opts out of the 2020 season.

Maybe I am looking into this too much but 8% of the players are African American which about 60 players last year.  We now have 3 of the 5 opting out that are African American.  

[SteveA]

1 minute ago, Philip said:

This is probably been covered elsewhere, but if a player voluntarily ops out, that means he does not get paid for the season correct? And if that’s true, then David Price opting out just saved the Red Sox between 20 and $30 million? Well, the Red Sox or whoever he’s playing with these days, I forget.

He is forfeiting his salary, yes.

From the Dodgers, as I noted above but no one seems to notice.

The only exception is players who are themselves high risk.  Since no players are over 60, I guess that would mean players with certain medical conditions.  They can sit out and get paid.  I don't know how many players fit that category, probably very few.

[HowAboutThat]

Just now, SteveA said:

He is forfeiting his salary, yes.

From the Dodgers, as I noted above but no one seems to notice.

The only exception is players who are themselves high risk.  Since no players are over 60, I guess that would mean players with certain medical conditions.  They can sit out and get paid.  I don't know how many players fit that category, probably very few.

In that case, it is another reason for the owners to be extremely motivated to not have a season, unless the players who don’t opt out would be paid whether there is a season or not

[Frobby]

9 minutes ago, bpilktree said:

Maybe I am looking into this too much but 8% of the players are African American which about 60 players last year.  We now have 3 of the 5 opting out that are African American.  

Too small a sample to make much of it.  

[SteveA]

24 minutes ago, Philip said:

In that case, it is another reason for the owners to be extremely motivated to not have a season, unless the players who don’t opt out would be paid whether there is a season or not

You lost me there.  Not sure I get your logic.  Maybe my reading comprehension is lacking.

[HowAboutThat]

1 minute ago, SteveA said:

You lost me there.  Not sure I get your logic.  Maybe my reading comprehension is lacking.

Well if I am understanding you correctly, if an expensive player decides not to play this season, he doesn’t get paid. That means the owners are saving that expense. Price’s contract is 7/210 I think, so the owner is saving 30 M right?

or rather a prorated “60 games worth” of 30 M?

[SteveA]

Just now, Philip said:

Well if I am understanding you correctly, if an expensive player decides not to play this season, he doesn’t get paid. That means the owners are saving that expense. Price’s contract is 7/210 I think, so the owner is saving 30 M right?

or rather a prorated “60 games worth” of 30 M?

Yes.  They're paying him nothing.  If he had played he would have gotten 60/162 of his salary.

Guess I don't get why that is a reason for the owners to be "really motivated to not have a season".

Sure, not having a season would save the paying salaries.  What does that have to do with there being a season but a few players deciding to sit out?

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, SteveA said:

Yes.  They're paying him nothing.  If he had played he would have gotten 60/162 of his salary.

Guess I don't get why that is a reason for the owners to be "really motivated to not have a season".

Sure, not having a season would save the paying salaries.  What does that have to do with there being a season but a few players deciding to sit out?

This way they get some revenue and don't have to pay Price.