TAMPA, Fla. _ Rays Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell said the risk of returning to play this season is "just not worth it" _ at least not for significantly less than his original $7 million salary.
With league and union officials discussing a plan to start a pandemic-delayed and abbreviated season in July with players getting reduced pay, Snell responded Wednesday to a question on his Twitch video game streaming channel with a two-minute answer about how it was not worth risking his life for a lesser reward.
Most pointedly:
"Y'all gotta understand, man, for me to go, for me to take a pay cut is not happening, because the risk is through the roof. It's a shorter season, less pay. I gotta get my money. I'm not playing unless I get mine, okay? And that's just the way it is for me.
"Like, I'm sorry you guys think differently, but the risk is way the hell higher and the amount of money I'm making is way lower. Why would I think about doing that? Like, you know, I'm just, I'm sorry."
In later text messages with the Tampa Bay Times, Snell said he knows people will view his comments as greedy, but "that's not the case at all," and his concerns are rooted more in the health and safety issues.
"I mean, honestly, it's just scary to risk my life to get COVID-19 as well as not knowing and spreading it to others," he said via text. "I just want everyone to be healthy and get back to our normal lives, 'cause I know I miss mine!"
More, the owners' attempts to further reduce player salaries "is super frustrating because we have way more risk."
Snell, 27, signed a five-year, $50 million contract last spring. He said he is concerned about the long-term risks of being infected and, at this point, is preparing for the possibility of playing next in 2021.
Players agreed in March to get paid on a prorated basis. If the plan for an 82-game season is approved _ and actually played, assuming all health and safety issues are resolved _ Snell would get roughly half his salary. Owners are seeking a further reduction since games will likely be played without fans, reportedly based on splitting all revenues with the players.
While adamant that the current options are not viable, Snell seemed to have some of the details wrong.
Among other points, no set figure has been disclosed regarding how much further salaries would be reduced. It is unclear how much Snell would make under the plan, though it would be more than if the season is not played. In that case, he'd get only about $300,000 total.
Plus, the league is proposing teams play in their home ballparks where possible, so players wouldn't necessarily be isolated.
Snell also told the Times he would consider sitting out the season even if the union accepted a deal to start play.
"I honestly think I would see what my peers did and talk to my loved ones before I made a decision, because I really do wanna play baseball and be around the family we have built here in Tampa. It's just a hard time with a lot going on to make it even harder."
He said he left St. Petersburg for his Seattle-area home so he would have more equipment available and options to work out because "if a season happens, I want to be ready."
Asked if he'd be OK playing for his full salary, Snell said, "That's because I feel like when I signed my deal I owed them for that $7 million, (and) I personally feel like I have to come through on that."
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Thursday morning he didn't want to get into the specifics of Snell's comments, but acknowledged other players may have similar concerns.
"To answer your question, (are) there players that feel that way? I would imagine that there are players that ... have concerns about their specific health and the health of their families and teammates," Cash said. "And I think that's fair. We all should to a degree."
He also addressed the overall risk issue Snell raised:
"Health and safety is the No. 1 priority right now for myself, our organization, MLB, of our players, our staff, our fans and our specific communities. I guess we all have a right to say what we want to say and believe and feel what we want to believe. But I can assure you that that stance of prioritization of health and safety among everybody affiliated with baseball, and certainly our fans and our communities and all of the first responders that have been out there working currently through this rough time, we support and will continue to support."
