Ozzie Guillen: No Major Leaguer Should Play Winter Ball

Every year, more than a thousand ballplayers head down south to play in the Caribbean winter leagues. The majority have never seen a major league diamond, and likely never will. Still, some current Major Leaguers choose to play winter ball despite the fact that they don’t have to.

Former White Sox and Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, who’s never really hesitated to tell people what he thinks, believes that big leaguers shouldn’t play in the winter leagues. Guillen is known best for managing the White Sox to a World Championship in 2005, and for expressing his opinions. In an interview with the Associated Press, Guillen gave his two cents on Major Leaguers playing winter ball;

“If one of these players gets injured, no fan, or no team owner, is going to come and give them the thousands or millions of dollars they’re worth,” Guillen told the AP. “Sincerely, I thank them all for being part of the league. But personally I don’t think any major leaguer should play here.”

What Guillen is saying makes sense from a business standpoint. To a player, his body is a commodity. Staying in shape is necessary to be at the top of your game, and to be well-paid. Minor League players, especially those in the lower levels and poorly-ranked, do not have the luxury of nursing their bodies in the offseason. They must get as many at-bats or innings pitched as possible, to better showcase their talents to teams.

In contrast, Major League players are making a minimum of $507,500 annually. As salaries and payrolls continue to climb, many teams have expanded their injury prevention departments and hired dietitians for their players. As Oakland A’s exec Billy Beane put it, “Staying healthy is the No. 1 predictor of success.” So for players, that means minimizing the risk of getting hurt. One of the simplest ways to do this, is to only play when you’re supposed to. It’s not the most fun way to live, but it can save (or make) a player millions. 

Despite his opinion, Guillen is currently managing the Tiburones: a Venezuelan winter league team. He told the AP he wasn’t managing the Tiburones to get back into the Major Leagues. However on the same day, he told Chicago’s 670 The Score that he wants to manage in MLB again.

Players play because they love the game. It’s not just a job, it’s a passion. More than 25% of Major League players are born outside the country, with the majority of them coming from Latin America. To many of these players, the winter leagues, and the World Baseball Classic (which is another injury-risk), is their way of giving back to their home country.

Guillen recognizes why Major Leaguers choose to play winter ball, and uses Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar (currently playing for the Tiburones) as his example:

“This isn’t about money. It’s about passion. Do you think Escobar wants to get on a bus at 4 in the morning just for a trip to Puerto La Cruz?”

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Ozzie’s got a point here, but it counters his argument. Maybe players should be taking the safe route in the interest of their careers, but what about the fans? What about the passion? It’s doubtful that Major Leaguers currently playing in the Caribbean (and soon the World Baseball Classic) will change their minds after hearing Guillen’s comments, but he’s definitely given them something to think about.