Tampa Bay Rays’ ace pitcher Blake Snell doesn’t think it is worth the risk of returning to play at a reduced rate and says he will not play this season due to the risk of contracting coronavirus, according to ESPN.
In a video posted to social media on Wednesday via his Twitch channel, Snell bashed the MLB’s proposal of a 50-50 revenue split with the players as they plan to return to play in what will be a shortened season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“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,” Snell said, during one of his Twitch streams. “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?”
Snell stated that he “love[s] baseball to death”, but is unwilling to accept multiple reductions of his salary. Snell was set to make $7 million in 2020.
“Bro, I’m risking my life,” Snell said during the stream, which has also made Twitch news headlines as well. “What do you mean it should not be a thing? It should 100% be a thing. If I’m gonna play, I should be getting the money I signed to be getting paid. 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?”
Snell then texted the Tampa Bay Times, and acknowledged that the comments he made during the video could be negatively perceived by fans.
“I mean honestly it’s just scary to risk my life to get Covid-19 as well as not knowing and spreading it to the others,” Snell said, via the Tampa Bay Times. “I just want everyone to be healthy and get back to our normal lives cause I know I miss mine!”
This isn’t the first time that Snell has made headlines with comments he made during one of his streams, and due to him being one of the more viewed Twitch channels among baseball players, Snell usually garners attention when he talks sports during a stream.
