As most players prepare to report to summer training camp, longtime Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman writes in a guest piece for the Associated Press that he’s “still deciding whether to play” in 2020. Like many players throughout the league, while he’s not personally a high-risk patient in the event of a positive COVID-19 test, he has loved ones who are of greater concern. Writes Zimmerman:
When it comes down to it, it’s a decision not just for me, but for my family as well. I have a 3-week-old baby. My mother has multiple sclerosis and is super high-risk; if I end up playing, I can pretty much throw out the idea of seeing her until weeks after the season is over.
Under the health and safety protocols laid out by Major League Baseball and agreed to by the Players Association, Zimmerman wouldn’t receive service time or be paid, should he choose to opt out. Only players who are high-risk cases themselves, as determined by team medical personnel, are eligible for that benefit.
Zimmerman will be far from the only player making a decision of this nature in the coming days. High-risk individuals exist throughout the league, be it due to recent battles with cancer, preexisting respiratory conditions or any number of other risk-increasing conditions. The number of players with such risks is surely higher than most are aware of, and the number of players with concerns more in line with Zimmerman is even greater yet. There will very likely be some players who opt not to play in 2020, and Zimmerman provides a candid and thoughtful look at the factors he’s weighing in a piece that’s well worth a full read.
This past offseason, Zimmerman inked a one-year, $2MM contract to return to the Nationals for what would his 16th season with the only franchise he’s ever known. Foot injuries limited him to just 52 games in 2019 and likely impacted his performance at the plate, but he batted a combined .289/.350/.542 in 899 plate appearances from 2017-18.
I’m sure the Nats will be devastated.
What ryan zimmerman ever do to u
Real classy comment. Smh.
Seeing as he is literally Mr. National I’m sure they would be devastated that he won’t be in their clubhouse for the first time in 16 years if he chooses to opt out.
What’s the point of working so hard for so long to provide for your family, only to put your newborn at risk here at the end of your career? Think it through Ryan.
I’m sure writing this comment gave you your first demi-erection in years.
That’s one of the more classless posts.
It’s fine that Ryan is a millionaire. He’s got a new baby. Stay home and not get paid. He can afford it.
Many workers that are unable to work from home – so it’s either show and maybe get sick up or starve. He’s not one of those. Like you said, stay home. Enjoy your new kid and make plans for life after baseball.
But this might be his last shot at playing in the majors. So there are counterpoints as well. His decision, and I wish him the best..
“His decision” is the first and last counterpoint, actually.
He must be one of those “sheep” who cares if people other than himself survive.
If he cared is someone other than himself survived, he’d live in a bubble for three months.
People can live responsibly and still do things.
This isn’t a nuclear event. No one is advising everyone stay indoors for months.
I don’t know if that’s directed at me or not. And I don’t even know what it means.
Since everyone who gets this misses 30 to 50 percent of the season, you owe it to your team to be as safe as possible. It’s only three months.
Thats hardly a “bubble” if you’re traveling. I didn’t mean anything inflammatory. I suppose I took it literally due to personal background in the Army and a station in a nuclear bunker. On the flip side, he is nonessential and may choose to stay in his “immediate family bubble”. Both are options and relatively safe, since this isn’t an Ebola outbreak or a nuclear event.
Old joke from the Army – NBC meant Nuclear Biological Chemical, when I was in, so we made a twisted joke of it and would say “NoBody Cares”. They changed the acronym after I got out. I’m not sure what it is today, but I’m sure they make inside jokes about the acronym and twist the meaning.
But according to DTD no one can be indoors for months without destroying their immune system, I guess they have to take that into consideration… haha
Stay home He’s earned millionaires of dollars. He’s won gold gloves and silver sluggers. He’s played in All-Star Games, postseasons, and won a World Series. There’s nothing he truly needs to do or accomplish in a 2-3 month season that he hasn’t already experienced. Be with your family.
@ Brandon—well said—-I felt the same for Ben Zobrist last season…..millionaire, World Champ a couple of times over, all star, etc. Taking an unpaid leave from baseball. That poor guy was vilified. I guess potential divorce didn’t qualify as enough of a reason to try to take care of a family.
It’s their choice. (and even more, they are in a position to make it)
Mike Trout has already made it pretty clear that there’s a strong chance he’s leaving the team when his wife is due in August….I can hardly wait that string of comments.
Zobrist deserved to be vilified for walking out on his baseball family and contract obligations. He is not the first player to deal with a divorce during a season. It’s terrible he had to deal with that in his personal life. He still had to play. Guys aren’t sitting out a season for paternity leave when they have a baby. The situation sucks but he had to keep playing.
No fan should ever pass judgement (let alone vilify) a player for anything relating to their personal lives. We don’t and shouldn’t know any details beyond simple “He’s away dealing with family issues.”
Neither you and I don’t know the situation, but do know all situations aren’t equal. Somehow the fact that is was divorce related came to be public knowledge, but no one knows the entirety of what he had to deal with. He felt he needed to do it, and that’s that. He didn’t collect a paycheck for time missed and the Cubs obviously allowed it as he returned to the team later in the year.
I’m glad you would’ve “gutted it out” and played, but personal family will always be more important than “professional family.” No one should ever apologize for that.
Let’s say if he had gutted it out but in doing so was not able to mentally focus on the game, his performance could have suffered and he could have ended up being a larger distraction for the team. It could be easily argued that by removing himself he not only helped himself but the team as well.
I really wish more people understood this. Well said.
People should try to avoid passing judgment on other people, period. Including passing judgment on others for… being judgmental!!
I think he proved pretty clearly that he didn’t have to keep playing, actually. You know, when he….stopped….playing.
I’m from the school of thought to keep playing through personal stuff too, but to me it would be for the distraction to take my mind off the problem. But he didn’t HAVE to, because he didn’t.
Then don’t see your mother for 2 weeks after the season ends. It’s not like he’s a teenager who still needs parental supervision. 90 days from now you can see your mommy again buddy.
Wow SOMEBODY’S got mommy issues
Hey, congrats Cleatus! You earned yourself the DB comment of the day!
Thank you. It wasn’t easy, but mission accomplished.
Idk if you have lost a parent/grandparent or anything like that, but once they’re gone, you regret not taking those opportunities to visit them. For most of the last 15 years of Zimmerman’s life, he has had to sacrifice almost everyday from March to September and a lot of the time October as well, to play ball and sacrifice a lot of time that he could have visited his parents or family to train and play baseball. He’s already won a ring and has collected over $100 million in his career. I’m sure that retirement was on his mind this winter and more so now with the shortened season.
So for this 16th year in a row, he only has to do it from July to September. Part-time if you will. If he wants to retire then just retire. He’s a veteran, no need for excuses.
Players will get tested every other day right? So I’m sure he would have a pretty damn good idea if he’s positive or not. Has he been getting tested every other day while seeing his mom this whole time? I doubt it.
Still, you don’t want to get the disease and put someone who is already at high risk in even greater of a risk. Plus he wouldn’t be just going the few weeks without his mother. He has a wife and child who if they caught it then they couldn’t go visit her parents, and puts the kid at risk. If he feels his best course of action is to sit out this season, nobody should he’s making the wrong decision on that.
I agree 100 percent. His mother could die in the meantime and how important would one more season feel then?
That’s been the case every yr of every player’s career. People die every day. To say this season is any different is irresponsible and untruthful.
Can a team park a player like Zimmerman on its “taxi squad”? Or does a player need to be optioned or on a minor league contract to be on the taxi squad?
Honestly, why not do it? The regular season is just for 3 months. Plus another month if you make the playoffs. Plus an extra 14 days of quarantine.
So that 3.5 months to 5 months of playing the game and potentially winning another World Series.
He’s not in an essential job position and, so, he has a choice to prioritize what he and his want to put first. If you have a newborn and an ailing parent, while not being essential to many others outside family, why would a trophy be your primary concern?
The flip side of that is, why do it? It’s going to fly by, you’re going to make less than a million of your original $2 million guarantee, and what is he going to gain by playing? He’s won his awards, accolades, his championship, made his millions, and will have his number retired when he officially hangs it up.
The flip side is you get to spend that time with your family and newborn baby (which I’m sure Mrs. Zimmerman greatly appreciate) and not risk transmitting COVID-19 to your family.
Under normal circumstances, he would’ve played, but in this completely abnormal year…sit it out.
He could not play and still transmit the disease to his family unless he and everyone else in the family never leaves the house or let’s anyone in.
Don’t you believe that staying in for a few months is more harmful as it will destroy the immune system?
Play one game , get your ring , and let someone else play
If you want to live in a bubble for three to four months, play. If you don’t, then don’t.
I took a contract job out of state where I was basically alone for six months building up my finances prior to getting married.
Is three months that big of a deal… I don’t get it.
Different strokes, for different folks. To some it is. I wouldn’t want to do what you did. We’re not all wired the same, though.
I don’t blame Zimmerman one bit for weighing it.
Exactly, App Outlaw, when I tell folks I worked in a nuclear communication bunker for part of my time in the Army there aren’t a lot of them that say, “Hey, that’s so cool! How do I get a job like that?”
Appalachian_Outlaw
Good post. You are right, we are not all wired the same. For me, this isn’t difficult. I can basically self isolate without issue. To others, self isolating and not going out to dinners and bars is unimaginable. They’d go nuts.
To me, it’s a small sacrifice, to others… not so much. But we both end up judging the other.
So if you are part of the group that needs to go out…. wear a mask. 🙂
And please don’t forget – Zimmerman has the luxury of already being financially comfortable. The extra money and potential glory he’d earn (an above post mentioned his many career accomplishments) obviously don’t outweigh the love and concern he feels for his family.
And yet, there are those who condemn.
You must not have read the article. As Zimmerman says the bubble is only as good as the people in it. He is a smart guy who clearly understands the issues, which is a lot more than we can say for many of the people who comment here.
It’s crazy how eager the ignorant are to out themselves.
Zimmerman is right as far as there will be others that leave the bubble. But as far as his family is concerned, he’s wrong. It’s his choice to leave the bubble. He can protect his family by not subjecting his family to his teammates choices.
By the way, let me just add. Parents are sending their kids back to school this fall. Their choices are a lot harder than Zimmerman’s. It’s hard for me to have empathy.
If empathy is difficult for you, consider that Zimmerman is not speaking entirely for himself. He doesn’t want to see a lot of sickness in baseball. Is that so awful? He is also saying that it’s up to the individual player to decide how isolated they choose to make themselves and this creates lots of opportunity for the virus to infiltrate the bubble, which will expose people who volunteered to be separated from their families for 3-4 months. In effect this system punishes the players who sacrifice the most. If you don’t see how this presents difficult choices then I don’t know what to say.
Has anyone compiled a list of the high risk players we can see?
Great thing about freedom, having choices. There’s no joy like fatherhood. If you work hard to support and enjoy your family, choose to do that.
Before I get blasted I know there are millions without this choice. I’m just saying he has it and I’ll respect his.
It’s okay I’m sure Zimmerman will get injured like he always does and won’t have to play anyway
Sure are a lot of salty people on this thread. Yeesh!
Good article and an even better lead in to Zimmerman’s AP story. I, too, think this is an excellent year to try out some possible future changes to the game to see how fans like them. I wonder if he is right about no owners traveling with their teams of if a few will travel with their teams (or travel separately if that is how they would travel in a regular season) to show solidarity with their players. Surely, one of two will… I hope. There have to be a few owners who do so, as that will go a long way for many reasons – from future free agent pursuits to team morale.
Most importantly, no hard feelings on my end if you chose to prioritize concern for others over business or self. It’s a virus that can kill weaker or compromised individuals and you have my empathy for what you may be going through in your decision process. Personally, I chose to cancel my nonessential long distance travel and lose the money spent on reservations due to a high risk kindergarten teacher that should not take the risk with me. I will do my wife a solid and stay with her. As a former Army man, I am proud to show solidarity with my loved ones and communities by supporting them. It’s easy for a person like me to make personal sacrifices for what I perceive as the greater good.
There’s probably a lot of internal pressure for players to play from teammates, society, etc. that will keep the numbers low of those who take the full year off. However, most of the veterans who have made enough money should just take the year off. The money is mostly irrelevant to them and the risk of injury will be very high. Plus, the whole season is an asterisk already.
We’ll probably just see a rash of minor injuries, pitchers being shut down by 9-1 if their team is out of it and an overall level of indifferent baseball by a lot of players who will just be there for the check.
It’s a job for these players – a fun one but a job. Like any job, if I won the lotto, I’d quit. I wouldn’t go back to work if I was loaded and it made me avoid seeing my family.
Take the year off, enjoy your life and come back next year if you want to.
Sadly most people don’t have that option..they can’t sit out a year and not get paid because of the money they have made in the past…to hold them over.
I hope they achieve the economic flexibility to make such choices somewhere in their future and enjoy the ride, while they work towards their goals.
No agenda here but honest question. If he chooses not to play, is this a step into retirement?
Good question is it a team option for the next year, since this year’s contract terms aren’t fulfilled? He can always retire and forgo the money, but I assume a team would have a choice as to whether they want to keep the contract intact for next year.
He’s 36 or 37 and can injure himself while brushing his teeth. So, yeah, probably…
The Nats should just put him on the injured list now. He’s going to wind up there anyway and they can go forth as a team without his wishy-washyness
back of 2021 baseball cards… 2020: Did Not Play – COVID-19
If Ryan Zimmerman plays, good for him. If he doesn’t play, good for him. Far be it for anyone to criticize his decision one way or the other. He’s a grown man and can and will make his own decisions, just like the rest of us.
And if he chooses not to play because his family is more important to him than baseball, triple good for him.
I wholeheartedly agree!
He has always been a class act. His final decision should be respected
The idiot is not this classy self-made ballplayer who busted his ass off while enduring years and years of lousy Nats teams, who’s got a wife and kids, a World Series ring, a net worth probably exceeding $100 million, and little at stake at this point in his career. The idiot is the person who is jealous and cannot grasp any of that,
All of you bedwetters out there better get ready. Gonna be a boatload of pro athletes in all sports that are gonna sit out the season, and for reasons that make sense to anyone with a brain. Put your Depends on. There, that’s better.
Natsman1
Why so harsh? I have no empathy for the man. I have empathy for all the parents out who have to make impossible decisions sending their children to school next fall who have NO good options.
Not for a guy who has nothing but good options.
Harsh? I believe the word you meant to use was ‘realistic’.
Doubt any superstar player will play, why would they at reduced salary in this joke of a season?
My guess is the average player is at a greater risk of a serious injury that impacts his career than anything COVID-19 might do to him.
The Problem with COVID is if you get it, you infect others and miss 30 to 50 percent of the season.
Because the other alternative is no pay.
Curious if he would take a year off or just retire.
Meanwhile the rest of the real world is being forced back to work without an option. I hate these players. Let them all stay home and bring up the minor leaguers. Done with MLB.
Why not play 60 games. Get a chance repeat as Champs then retire
Why so angry?
He’s only playing for like 600K why bother. See your mother, raise your kid. Enjoy the life you already earned.
I can’t imagine why he’d even consider playing.
Can’t imagine why any of them would.
Why wouldn’t they? We all have the same odds of getting covid. Actually their odds are actually less as they’ll be around the same 40 people day in day out. It not like it’s a contact sport. I see 100’s of different people at work everyday and don’t worry about it. They’re all whiny, entitled little bitches.
You are an ass hole.
Not really. This guys are pathetic. Have you been forced back to work yet? Did you have a choice? Or do you even work? They have been given everything on a silver platter yet they still complain.
You’re an ass hole.
Dude, you are angry about your life, that is easy to see. No need to lash out and attack those in a better position than yours
Obviously, money is a pretty good reason.
Also.
Some of us played simply because we loved to. I’m pretty sure a lot of these dudes just love to play ball, man.
Uh?
He’s a pretty solid DH if he’s healthy.
Who cares ?
About you posting here?
The only purpose of baseball (or any sport) is to entertain the fans of the sport. That’s it. That’s the one and only practical purpose of sports. And with that in mind I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to risk their health this year to play this game for the purpose of entertaining a fan base that’s largely made up of ignorant, arrogant, jealous losers whose primary reason for watching the game is to have something to complain about with impunity.
Any player who chooses not to play is forfeiting their money for the year, therefore they have no obligations other than to themselves and their families. For this one year, in this one circumstance they are perfectly within their rights to say to hell with the team, to hell with the game, and especially to hell with the fans.
Frankly, as entitled and toxic and the players are, and as entitled and toxic as the owners are, the fans are, BY FAR, the larges pile of toxic trash involved in this sport, and if I had the honor to play this game, I’d love nothing more, right about now, than an opportunity to publicly flip off the whole lot of them.
Well said. Seriously. I’m not being a jerk. (They won’t let me post the words you called me). Remember tho, without fans, the players don’t exist and the sport doesn’t exist. Many of us are fed up with $300M contracts for a dude that hits 280 causing ticket prices to soar. Now the same guys are complaining about having to go to “work”. A lot of us will stop watching and going to games soon enough. They did it to themselves.
Then stop
Stop what? Giving my opinion? Ain’t gonna happen. Don’t read it if you don’t like it.
You shouldn’t be on message boards of you can’t handle a different view of things.
I meant to stop whining
88 good old days,
You allege that MLB players have a less chance of catching Covid than just about anyone else. Interesting. What numbers do you have to back that up? Earlier this week, 5% of NBA players tested positive for covid — and they have not even resumed playing, contact professions.. !!! The majority of people who’ve contracted Covid so far do not work in “contact” sports, too. So OK. Where are your numbers to support your claim? Because I’d like to determine who’s more whiny, arrogant, and entitled: MLB players, or some of their so called fans?
First, obviously I’m not a fan anymore so therefore can’t be a whiny, arrogant one. These players can suck it. So can you. It’s simple logic. They will be hanging out with the same people they already know every day. People that are getting tested probably every week, if not more. People with actual real jobs are around 100’s of strangers a day, depending on their profession. So, common sense would tell you, normal people have a much greater chance of getting it than MLB players. The NBA has much more contact than MLB so its not surprising their numbers are up. Same goes for the NHL and NFL and you don’t hear them crying about it.
We don’t hear them crying about it… Yet! Their season will come both old and young and I hope they do better with the IT than me!
True true for the NFL. I feel that’s a little different cause somebody is always bleeding and you can’t get get rid of contact in that sport. That’s gonna be a tough one. NHL is slated to start in a couple weeks with playoffs starting the end of July. I know the sport doesn’t have the same media following as baseball but I follow it very closely and haven’t heard much.
NHL Roomers!
88 —- No, you dont need hear the NFL and NHL players talking about it because their seasons are nowhere close to starting. And NBA players have NOT started practice, but already 5% of their workforce has tested positive already. So, as expected, you have absolutely zero stats – not even a link to a swebsite – to back up your barmy theories. You’re right, you’re not a fan. And you’re definitely not in the medical/health industry, either.
None of that made sense. The NHL is starting training camps next week with the playoffs beginning in late July. Go to any NHL site if you need proof of that. I never said I had stats to back up my opinion. That’s why it’s called an opinion. I also never said I worked in the health industry. When it comes to the NBA, do you have stats to prove 5% have tested positive or is that what “they” said? If they’re not in training camp that puts them in the “normal” people category so your 5% argument isn’t valid. I wish your team the best. I hope you enjoy watching them get paid millions and millions of dollars to fail over 70% of the time and complain while they do it. That’s good business right there. Oh wait, you’re a Nats fan. Gonna be a tough season for you. I give them props for winning but it was a fluke and most likely won’t happen again. Soto can’t carry an entire team on his back. Good try trolling me tho.
Brenda, you need to stop floating your bullshite. You have zero common sense and you’re not smart enough to come up with good lies. ESPN reported the 5% stat for NBA players days ago. Second, you’re alleging that a 5% covid rate in the U.S. is in the “normal” range? Really now? So you’re saying 5% of Americans, or about 20 MILLION people give or take a few mill, have tested positive? Look, you dont have facts and you dont have any common sense either. For a guy who claims to “not be a fan”, you spend alot of time on here. In reality you’re just a typical pissy fan who is jealous of the coin pro athletes make. Well anyways, The Nats will do well this year. Oh, but since you’re not a “fan” of either baseball/The Nats/Zimmerman, whether The Nats do well or not is not of interest to you. Nor is posting on this thread. Right?
Heck yea I’m jealous. I’d love to “work” 6 months of the year, fail at most of my job and get paid millions. Who wouldn’t?
I enjoyed your attempts at insulting me. I’m here for you all day if you need me. Sounds like you have a lot of anger inside you need to get out.
Way to keep it classy.
And nothing classy about the many bleeders like you who jump on a message board to attack players who want to consider going to work during a PANDEMIC because, God forbid, they have family members and coworkers who are more important than you. Way to keep it classy, yeah. And LAWD, perish the thought that you’re so entitled that ANYONE should DARE rake in millions. By the way, you’re “not a fan” but, uh, you still sign in to this site constantly. Uh huh.
There we go. Let it all out. It’s gonna be ok. My comforting shoulder is here for you to cry on. Do you feel better? Want a popsicle or something? Maybe a warm bottle of milk?
C’mon Jack? Dat da best you got? Humiliated into submission are ya?
Nah. Just done with you. Glad you’re feeling better now “Jack”.
You aint done, Brenda. You’ll be back for more.
I think Zimmerman’s concerns are WAY overblown. I have a family member that works in a 100% COVID 19 hospital. They take off their clothes and wash them when they come home daily, they wear a mask at work and when in public and use hand sanitizer frequently. That’s all Zim has to do to stay and keep his loved ones safe and dont eat out, takeout items ok especially if it’s something cooked at a high temp.
Do you not see the difference is your relative has to work, whereas this guy has made enough money and accomplished enough to have a choice. Of course he can take the risk, but does he want to, given that he doesn’t have to? That is 100% up to he and his family alone. People should respect his decision regardless of which way it goes and not judge it before he even makes one