3 Braves Players Who Should Sit Out if Rob Manfred Institutes Shortened Season

We were really hoping that it didn't come to this, but MLB owners and players have made just about zero progress in over two months (!) of negotiating a plan for the 2020 season. With each week that passes, you have to think that, in order for baseball to be played this year, commissioner Rob Manfred draws closer to stepping in and implementing a nuclear option 50-game season.

With that news at the forefront, it's no wonder why some star players are planning to sit out. If this happens, here are three players on the Atlanta Braves who would be justified in punting the 2020 campaign.

3. Mark Melancon

At 35 years old, Mark Melancon would really benefit from opting out of a drastically shortened 2020. Though the three-time All-Star had some questionable moments last season, he still posted a 3.61 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 67.1 innings of work, becoming Atlanta's full-time closer after coming over from San Francisco. After originally being slated to earn $14 million this year, what he'd make in a 50-game campaign obviously wouldn't be anything close to that figure. Sitting out would see Melancon presented with the opportunity to compete for a World Series with the Braves for an additional season before hitting free agency in 2022.

2. Will Smith

After two stellar seasons with the Giants, Will Smith signed a three-year, $40 million deal with Atlanta this offseason. The All-Star reliever is already under contract through 2023 and he would be wholly justified in not wanting to waste a year playing a shortened season. Let's not forget that he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2017 campaign, so an extra year of rest wouldn't be the worst thing for the 30-year-old vet. Smith is one of the few players that would be better off adding another year to the end of his contract.

1. Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels signed a one-year, $18 million contract with Atlanta this offseason. That's not too shabby for a 36-year-old hurler that logged a middling 3.86 ERA in 2019. However, we're not so sure what the four-time All-Star would have to gain by playing in a truncated campaign. Sitting out and gearing up for a 162-game season in 2021, which, in turn, would become his contract year, would be the smart move for Hamels. After all, potential suitors will be given a full scope of what he has left in the tank as opposed to just a 50-game sample if he were to suit up this time around.