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Tuesday BP: Buster Posey mulls opting out

There may not be an MLB season, and if there is, it may be missing a lot of players.

By Brady Klopfer

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San Francisco Giants v Arizona Diamondbacks Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Hello and happy Tuesday.

I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop with the 2020 MLB season. As it is, the San Francisco Giants are set to open the 60-game season in 16 days with a nationally televised road game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But will it happen? And if it does, will all of the Giants be there?

The Giants didn’t have any players opt out of the season prior to the start of Summer Camp. But with coronavirus cases still on the rise, and MLB’s testing protocol flopping, that could change.

Buster Posey, the face of the franchise, has been transparent about that from day one. When Summer Camp got started, Posey told reporters (via Zoom, of course) that he’s still not sure about the season:

“I think there’s still some reservation on my end as well. I want to see how things progress here over the next couple weeks. It would be a little bit maybe naive or silly not to gauge what’s going on around you, and not only around here but paying attention to what’s happening in different parts of the country. It’s obviously unprecedented times right now. Most definitely, I’ve thought about it and talked with my wife about it quite a bit ... I’d be surprised if you asked any player (and) they gave you a hardline ‘No way, I’m not going to opt out ever’ answer.”

He’s not the only one, of course. A few players, including former Cy Young winner David Price, have already opted out, and Mike Trout — the best player alive by a comfortable margin — has openly contemplated it as well.

Health and safety are obviously the top priorities with the season restart, and nothing comes close. But it’s becoming abundantly clear that if there is baseball this year — and that’s a gigantic, bold, underlined “if” — it may be without some of the sport’s most recognizable faces.

Did Barry Bonds hit a home run today?

Many times, despite this day falling onto a bunch of All-Star breaks.

July 7, 1995: Against the Atlanta Braves, Bonds hit a 2-run home run in the 1st inning off of Tom Glavine, scoring Darren Lewis. It gave the Giants a 2-0 lead, but they would lose 8-4. It was his 16th homer of the year.

July 7, 2002: Against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bonds hit a 3-run home run in the 3rd inning off of Rick Helling, scoring David Bell and Jeff Kent. It gave the Giants a 5-1 lead, and they would win 5-2. It was his 27th homer of the year.

July 7, 2003: Against the St. Louis Cardinals, Bonds hit a solo home run in the 1st inning off of Garrett Stephenson. It followed a Marquis Grissom home run, and gave the Giants a 3-0 lead. They would win 5-1. It was his 26th homer of the year.

July 7, 2004: Against the Colorado Rockies, Bonds hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning off of Adam Bernero. It tied the game 1-1, and the Giants would win 8-4. It was his 23rd homer of the year.

July 7, 2006: Against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bonds hit a 3-run home run in the 3rd inning off of Chad Billingsley, scoring Randy Winn and Omar Vizquel. It gave the Giants a 5-4 lead, but they would lose 9-7. It was his 12th homer of the year.

Giants links

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

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