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Rays’ Blake Snell delivers something of an apology for rant

Pitcher acknowledges it didn't sound good to say, ''I’m not playing unless I get mine,'' but considers the rest spot on.
 
Rays pitcher Blake Snell, left, warms up during a workout Friday at Tropicana Field.
Rays pitcher Blake Snell, left, warms up during a workout Friday at Tropicana Field. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]
Published July 3, 2020|Updated July 4, 2020

ST. PETERSBURG — Blake Snell isn’t sorry for saying risking his life playing this season for an even more significant pay cut than expected was “just not worth it.”

But, the Rays pitcher said Friday, there was part of his now-infamous May rant, delivered on the Twitch video game-streaming channel, that he did somewhat regret.

Specifically, the part that made for national soundbites, headlines and commentary framing him as a greedy, entitled, tone-deaf athlete: “I gotta get my money. I’m not playing unless I get mine, okay?”

Related: Rays, or at least most of them, are back to work

After taking the field for his shift during the Rays’ first workout of their second “spring” training as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Snell, 27, said in a media Zoom call that he was somewhat sorry.

“ The only thing about it that I didn’t like with what I said was just, ‘I’ve gotta get mine.’ That was pretty bad,” he said. “Everything I said, though, past that was pretty correct. But just how I started it, I could see how it could anger people, so I’d apologize for that. But everything after that was pretty spot-on with what we’re doing right now.”

With the players getting their prorated salaries, Snell will receive $2,592,592 for the 60-game season rather than the $7 million he was due in the second season of the five-year, $50 million deal he signed last spring.

Rays pitchers Nick Anderson, left, and Blake Snell, center, work out on the field Friday at Tropicana Field. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

At the time of his May comments, MLB players were pitching an 82-game season that on a prorated basis would give them half their salaries and owners were seeking a further reduction in pay, potentially based on a new revenue-sharing plan. Snell estimated the plan would cut his salary to around $1.75 million, adding, “I ain’t making s---.”

And though “the ‘rona” — as he called it — remains a threat to all involved trying to get through three weeks of camp before starting play on July 24, Snell said the protocols that the players association and Major League Baseball agreed to put in place made the decision to join the team relatively easy, and he did not give much thought to sitting out, which he said in May was an option.

“I would say it wasn’t tough when it came down to what the PA agreed on,” he said. “I like to follow through with what I say. So for that to be the case, definitely happy about that. Just with all the precautions MLB is taking, it makes it pretty easy to play. Everyone here is just super on their toes about it. So I feel very comfortable about it with everything MLB is doing.”

Snell said he is doing his part to stay safe.

“I feel comfortable with what I do when I’m off the field to make sure when I come here I’m not risking it for anyone that has families and stuff that are around,‘’ he said.

Snell had an eventful past few months, as he also showed off his video-game prowess in winning the MLB The Show players tournament, launched a snellzilla.com website that sells branded hoodies and T-shirts as part of a concerted effort to increase his online presence, and unexpectedly changed agents, signing with high-profile and hard-lined Scott Boras.

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There’s also the matter of baseball, as Snell is coming off a disappointing 2019 follow-up to his spectacular 2018 American League Cy Young season.

He missed 10 days last April due to a toe fractured in what he said was a freak accident in his home bathroom and was out nearly two months after late-July surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow. He returned to make three September starts and three solid playoff appearances.

Snell raised concern again in spring training when he felt discomfort in the elbow, which he initially likened to another bone chip, and received a cortisone shot. He reacted well and was projected to miss only the opening week of the original season, so the chance to rest and build up slowly during the shutdown — much of which he spent at his Seattle-area home — has been beneficial.

Plus, the planned limits on his workload for this season — given that he threw only 112 innings last year — are no longer as relevant in the abbreviated season, with a specific program expected soon from pitching coach Kyle Snyder.

“I feel really good right now,” Snell said after throwing a 20-pitch bullpen session. “I feel very, very prepared for this season. … It’s always different every year when I start pitching. Sometimes, I feel very good, sometimes I don’t mentally. It all depends. Where I’m at right now, I feel very comfortable, very confident, and I’m excited to see how I do when we get into real games.”