3 Blue Jays Who Should Sit Out 2020 if Rob Manfred Institutes 50-Game Season

Like almost every proposal that's been presented in the last three months, rumor has it that the MLBPA has considered the owners' latest leaked motion dead on arrival. As a result, most baseball fans are left believing that commissioner Rob Manfred will ultimately step in and implement the 48-game nuclear option.

Players have already come forward to say that they will consider sitting out if this happens, and you can guarantee that this potential (or inevitable) league-wide movement will extend to the Toronto Blue Jays. For a squad that boasts an alluring core of young talent that would benefit by playing, the Jays also have a few veterans that would be better off just staying home. Here are the three obvious choices.

3. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Following a spectacular 2019 campaign in which he finished second in NL Cy Young voting after posting a league-leading 2.32 ERA, Ryu inked a four-year, $80 million contract with the Blue Jays in free agency. The monster deal has him locked up until 2023, and that would extend an additional year if he was to sit out. Doing so would give the 33-year-old a chance to maximize his earnings instead of getting jammed with a prorated salary this time out. Ryu already did the hard part and landed the lucrative contract. He would have nothing to gain by playing in 2020, especially since the Blue Jays are a couple years away from contention.

2. Ken Giles

Giles was simply outstanding for the Blue Jays last season as he compiled a 1.87 ERA and a whopping 83 strikeouts across 53 innings of work. However, potential free agent suitors will be keen to see if the 29-year-old reliever is capable of replicating that success. After all, his previous three campaigns were disasters. Giles needs to prove that his 2019 production is the new norm and not just an outlier. A 50-game season just wouldn't give him the ability to do that on a full scale. He should absolutely pass on taking the huge gamble that would be playing this year and sit out. Plus, earning his full $9.6 million salary in 2021 seems like the better move than taking a fraction of it.

1. Chase Anderson

Anderson has been an adequate back-ed starter throughout his six-year career, and time is running out for him to secure a sizable contract. The 32-year-old vet came over in a trade from Milwaukee this offseason, and he will hit the open market if Toronto opts against exercising his club option. Anderson might be motivated to prove his worth in 2020, but a 50-game season would really shrink his margin for error. As a pitcher that has a career 3.94 ERA, it would definitely be best for him to sit out this year and prepare to tackle a full slate of games in 2021 while earning the full $9 million he's owed.