Ian Desmond opted out of the 2021 season

Rocky Mountain Outfielder Ian Desmond At least temporarily not participating in the 2021 season. He announced the news on his Instagram page (a tribute to Robert Murray of FanSided).

“In the past few months, I have had a hard conversation. I asked a lot of questions and did a lot of thinking. Currently, I have decided to withdraw from the 2021 season. In this case, my desire to be with my family is greater than my desire to return to the baseball field.I will continue to train and observe how the situation develops“, Desmond wrote in the statement.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, Desmond also opted out of the 2020 season. Doing so means confiscation of his prorated portion of his $1

5 million salary last year. Now, in the final guaranteed season of the contract, Desmond’s salary this season is 8MM. The respected veteran turned to exercise his right to withdraw from the game. His statement left potential rewards for later this season, but this may well mark the end of Desmond’s tenure in Colorado. His contract includes a $15 million club option for 2022, but even if Desmond returns to the game sometime this year, he will definitely buy it out.

As Joel Sherman of the New York Post pointed out on Twitter, the Rockies are the only team in the league that has not signed a major league free agent during the offseason. Whether the club plans to reinvest Desmond’s confiscated salary on the roster remains to be seen. His departure will open a place in the Rockies’ 40-man lineup, which was previously full.

More broadly, it is not surprising to see more players following in Desmond’s footsteps in the next few weeks. More than 20 athletes withdrew from the sport last season. The incidence of COVID-19 in many parts of the United States is now higher than last summer, so others in the alliance must also agree with Desmond’s concerns about returning to the battlefield this time.