Former MLB All-Star Scooter Gennett willing to sit out 2020 season

Former Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants second baseman Scooter Gennett knows his worth, and he won't accept anything less even if that means sitting the 2020 MLB season out.

While speaking with Doug Fernandes of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the 30-year-old who made his only All-Star appearance in 2018 explained that he doesn't have an MLB home amid the coronavirus pandemic because he wasn't satisfied with the contract offers he received during the offseason.

"I've been a year-to-year guy my whole career," Gennett said. "I just can’t give in to just what they want me to do, which is basically I play free for a year, and then now I’m 31. Am I too old now? They have control over the players like they’ve never had before.”

Gennett told Fernandes the top offer that came his way included $1.5 million in base salary and another $500,000 in potential incentives. He chose not to sign and wait things out.

"I’m fine with that," Gennett said of his decision. "I’m not happy with that, but I’m fine with not playing. Not conforming to what I don’t think is right.

"I know that I can still make an All-Star team, but what I can’t do is I can’t do what they want me to do. I cannot do that anymore."

Gennett was never at 100 percent last season after he injured his groin in March. The Reds sent him to the Giants ahead of the trade deadline, but San Francisco released him after only 21 games.

Gennett added that he felt disrespected by the contracts he saw over the winter.

"You’re 220 days away from your family," he said. "Away from the things that really matter in life, and if you can’t give me enough incentive to strap it on for that much time, it turns into a sacrifice. A 220-day sacrifice."

Teams likely will require so-called "taxi squads" for a season shortened by the pandemic if owners and the MLB Players Association can agree to terms for such a campaign. Even if baseball returns to ballparks in July, Gennett has made it clear he wants to be more than just a warm body.