Tampa Bay Rays: Why Blake Snell is right to refuse reduced pay in 2020

Spoiled Snell?

If you want to call players spoiled or whiny for their stance on enforcing the standing CBA, then you will only shut them up. We are getting the type of candor and realism that we desire from our ballplayers. It makes them easier to root for to know, not only that they are human beings, but what type of humans they are.

Don’t forget how incredibly difficult it is to get to the major leagues. About ten percent of all NCAA players are drafted into the farm systems, and only 10% of minor leaguers ever touch a big-league field.

Blake Snell is not the only one taking a pay cut this year. Plenty of players whose salaries more closely resemble the fans who call them spoiled millionaires are also in this with him.

They Must Not Love the Game

You don’t make it this far without loving the game. You don’t become one of the best players in the world – the best at each level, grind and work your way to the highest level of baseball in the universe – without loving the game.

These guys live the game in order to get where they are.

Blake Snell is Not a Nurse

They aren’t firefighters, doctors, nurses, police officers, or even Costco or Wal-Mart employees. We do not depend on baseball to survive right now. Granted, we may feel like we do, but we don’t.

I think it’s unfair to compare these players to nurses when Snell is talking about the alteration of the collective bargaining agreement in order to violate it under the premise of a health crisis. Players are talking about risk management in non-essential roles.

Those are my two cents on Blake Snell’s two cents, of course since it’s 2020 we need to pro-rate those over 81 games, then multiply it by .67…. Uh oh! Here come the taxes!

I know everyone has a ton of thoughts and opinions on this. Please feel free to share them here and on our Facebook page.