David Price opted out.
That's instantly become the acceptable terminology for a Major League Baseball player telling his team he won't participate in the 60-game 2020 season that opens later this month.
He opted out. According to all the headlines, according to the Dodgers' press release, according to all the related quotes, he opted out:
Yep. Opted out.
He wasn't the only one, either. The Rockies' Ian Desmond, the Diamondbacks' Mike Leake, the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman, the Braves' Felix Hernandez ... they all opted out, too. The Angels' Mike Trout, arguably the game's greatest player, is publicly mulling opting out himself. Same with the Giants' Buster Posey.
And with each such announcement or pronouncement, it seems there's been an accompanying symphony of sympathy and understanding, from the respective teams, from the media covering those teams and from fellow players:
J.D. Martinez on former teammate David Price opting out of the season:
“I respect his opinion. It’s a scary time right now. I’m sure he’s doing what he thinks is best for his family. You’ve got to respect that. You wish him the best, honestly.”
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) July 5, 2020
If there's been an exception to these, I've yet to uncover one.
Well, welcome to this column. Which most definitely will opt out on that count.
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