Reacts: Baseball fans are a (mostly) reasonable bunch

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Giants fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

The truncated 2020 MLB season is just over a week away. In eight short days, ESPN will host a doubleheader: The Washington Nationals will host the New York Yankees, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting your San Francisco Giants. And with that, we’ll be off and running.

Between now and then, the players on the diamond may change. Players can opt out of the season, and while only a small number have, it wouldn’t be surprising if that number starts to grow as players think about it more, weigh the risks with their families, see the test results, and witness other players opting out.

The Giants have had one player opt out, but it was the most notable player they have: face of the franchise catcher Buster Posey, who is forgoing the season due to the premature birth of twins that he and his wife, Kristen, are adopting.

Whether for a reason like Posey’s, or simply not wanting to play sports during a pandemic, there are no bad reasons for opting out of the 60-game season. Thankfully MLB fans seem to realize that, as the majority of those who responded to the latest SB Nation Reacts poll said they would understand if a player chose to sit for the year.

Only 5% of fans said they would be mad at a player for opting out.

For those who do opt to play, they’ll be given some social distancing protocols, such as no spitting, no high-fiving, and needing to stay six feet from the umpire. If you think that sounds unrealistic during a baseball game, well ... you’re not alone.

Baseball appears to be happening, regardless of whether it should, and regardless of whether players can feasibly follow the protocol. But a little skepticism is certainly warranted.

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