The Rockies announced Monday that left-hander Tim Collins has informed the club that he will opt out of the remainder of the 2020 season. He’d been in the team’s 60-man player pool but did not make the Opening Day, 30-man roster.
Colorado has also formally added nine players to its 60-man pool, per the announcement. Joining the group are right-handers Tommy Doyle, Karl Kauffmann and Wes Parsons; infielders Aaron Schunk, Michael Toglia, Ryan Vilade and Colton Welker; lefty Helcris Olivarez; and catcher Willie MacIver.
The Rockies’ announcement comes after two game — the Marlins/Orioles tilt in Miami and the Phillies/Yankees contest in Philadelphia — were postponed due to Covid-19 concerns. However, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that Collins had already informed the team of his decision to opt out prior to today’s news. That said, with 11 players and a pair of coaches testing positive in the Marlins organization alone since Friday, it’s certainly possible that we’ll see another wave of players decide to step away from the season citing health and safety concerns.
Collins, 30, was a staple in the Royals’ bullpen from 2011-14, pitching to a 3.54 ERA with better than a strikeout per frames part of a relief corps that eventually served as the backbone for consecutive World Series appearances. Unfortunately for Collins, he was only a part of the 2014 World Series runner-up roster, as he underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2015. When Collins appeared on the cusp of returning in 2016, he suffered a second UCL tear that led to a second Tommy John surgery.
All told, Collins missed the 2015-17 seasons while recovering, but he returned to the mound in 2018 and made it back to the Majors with the Nationals. In two seasons since his return, he’s totaled 31 1/3 frames in the Majors and logged a 4.02 ERA with a 25-to-15 K/BB ratio. He’s handled righties better than lefties in his career to date, so Collins isn’t necessarily impacted by the three-batter minimum rule like some other southpaws might be.
The 2020 season could’ve been a proving grounds of sorts for Collins, who is still young enough to reestablish himself as a quality reliever. But he’ll instead opt to step aside amid the current health concerns and likely look for another minor league deal this winter.
“The Marlins have announced that both of their remaining healthy players have opted out of the 2020 season.”
Both Marlins fans are disappointed by this news.
Lol
We are about to see a run a players opting out.
Live video from MLB clubhouses nation-wide:
*https://gfycat.com/thriftywelllitegg*
I doubt it. If we see a player suffer something that isn’t considered minor we may, but otherwise I doubt it.
What we might see is these players taking better precautions. But they are in their 20s, at that age, wisdom comes slow.
Ask Freddie Freeman how minor it was for him.
It was pretty darn minor.
Have you ever been sick. Really sick? Did you think you were going to die? Probably not.
However, if you were the same amount of sick, and you found out it was Covid, you’d be scared to death.
Freddie Freeman got sick. Haven’t we all.
Just how do you know Freeman’s illness was “pretty darn minor”? Wasn’t his account of the illness enough for Markakis to opt out of the season?
I think seeing someone get a direct account and react the way they did is a better source than some internet fanboy making a totally unfounded claim.
Because he talked about it. One day he was really really sick. The next day he was much better.
Is he a liar?
From ESPN: On Saturday, the four-time All-Star revealed he had a high temperature of 104.5 degrees while sick with the disease and prayed for his life.
“I said a little prayer that night,” Freeman said in a video conference call. “I’ve never been that hot before. My body was really, really hot. … I said ‘Please don’t take me’ because I wasn’t ready.”
Doesn’t quite sound like “pretty darn minor” experience from his own account
Someone has heart issues already
If someone has health issues, they should opt out.
E-Rod would scare me as a player. It’s far from the worst thing that could happen but man if you were someone like Trout who was worried before all of this, that really toes the line I think
Connor… let me see, I can worry about a minor heat condition that will take care of itself or I can have sex with the groupie in the hotel lobby?
The players are going to hit the girl in the lobby. But if it can affect the entire team, and the coaches, maybe they wont.
You obviously aren’t reading what players and managers are saying right now then after this fiasco with the Marlins. Many are scared…their words. Not mine. And are having internal discussions on what to do going forward. It is not a stretch to believe that we may see a walk-out this baseball season.
Marlins clearly weren’t scared enough yesterday, knowing they had positive tests and still said they wanted to play. That should be headline news.
first time that was said it didnt happen. hasnt happened even after E-Rod’s diagnosis yet. i wouldn’t bet on it at this point.
Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said at the time that the left-hander’s “minor complications” were enough for the club to take it as cautiously as possible with Rodriguez.
His complications were “minor”. But when players can infect their entire team, and coaches, maybe they’ll stay in their hotel room without “company” for three months. I doubt it, but maybe.
@Halo11fan – What is your obsession with the players’ sex lives and assumptions about what they are doing?
You also have to point out just how sexist and antiquated his comments are.
Think you’re wrong. They in awesome shape n health. Not going to adversely affect them.
Is Jason Giambi still playing?
Is it a shocker to anyone that a Florida based team was the first to get hit hard?
I think they can find it pretty quick. Which means there is a good chance they got it in Philadelphia.
Players have a very hard time spending three days in a hotel room.
Maybe. Could’ve picked it up in Miami prior to the series.
As for that question by Frank, I think after a few months we shouldn’t be shocked over who got what and where.
They could have. But if it takes four days to test positive, and in the mean time you can spread it to several others, this will never work.
Which begs the question: what were these guys doing off the field?
The fish arrived in philly either Wednesday night or Thursday from Atlanta. If it takes 3 or 4 days for it show up in tests, then it’s a pretty safe assumption that they picked it up in ATL or back in FL.
If the season is canceled, does Bobby Bonilla still get paid?
The Mets will still be paying him after the Betts, Trout, and Harper contracts are over.
Yes. Bonilla is getting deferred payments that are independent of there being any season. You could have a lockout and he gets paid.
You are ruining their attempt at a joke with logic
youtu.be/vOtrS7HkMHQ
This is about 75% of baseball fans right now.
Shouldn’t the Braves be cancelled too? And the Mets?
In theory it takes a few days to test positive, so wouldn’t it put the Braves also at risk who just played exhibition games right before the season started?
Then wouldn’t that put the Mets at risk who just played the Braves?
I feel like if you’re taking precautions, it makes just as much sense to cancel the Braves and Mets games too.
“In theory it takes a few days to test positive”
If it takes a few days, how can they have a season? Not with games seven days week as they have now.
But the players wanted as many games a possible. The owners didn’t, the players did.