Coronavirus: If Blake Snell refuses to play, Rays' World Series hopes would take big hit
Tampa Bay Rays ace pitcher Blake Snell says he will not play in the 2020 MLB season at a reduced salary and the risk of COVID-19.
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The Tampa Bay Rays have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball as evidenced by their 3.65 ERA last season, which ranked second in the majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The ace of Tampa Bay's rotation is left-hander Blake Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner. If he's to be believed, Snell will not be playing in the 2020 MLB season – if there is one – because he's not willing to take a pay cut while risking contracting COVID-19.
Tampa Bay is currently +2200 on the moneyline odds at William Hill sportsbook to win the 2020 World Series. Are the Rays good enough to win the Fall Classic even with Snell? Probably not due to a questionable lineup, but without him their chances to simply make the playoffs get a bit longer – even if those are expanded to 14 teams.
Here's what Snell said in a video posted to his Twitch channel on Wednesday:
"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. No, I gotta get my money. I'm not playing unless I get mine, OK? 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?
"I should not be getting half of what I'm getting paid because the season's cut in half, on top of a 33% cut of the half that's already there -- so I'm really getting, like, 25%. On top of that, it's getting taxed. So, imagine how much I'm actually making to play, you know what I'm saying?"
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Players have agreed to prorated salaries by games played, and Snell was scheduled to make $7.6 million this year. Thus, if 82 games are played as has been proposed by owners (the players' response hasn't come out yet) then Snell would still earn about $3.8 million.
MLB owners have proposed players take further pay cuts in order to offset the revenue lost by playing in front of empty stadiums. That's a non-starter by the players' union.
The 27-year-old Snell was one of the breakout stars of the 2018 season when he finished 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA in winning the second Cy Young in Rays history. He dealt with some injuries last year and wasn't quite as good in finishing 6-8 with a 4.29 ERA. Tampa Bay did earn a Wild-Card spot, won that game vs. Oakland and took Houston to five games in the ALDS.
Snell absolutely has the right to not play due to the health risks, but this is an incredibly tone-deaf statement when the economy is crashing in the United States and the unemployment rate is at a Depression-level peak. Reportedly, around 36 million people have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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