Milwaukee Brewers: Brock Holt in no win situation

As much as Milwaukee Brewers utility man Brock Holt may want to sit out the 2020 MLB season, he is stuck having to play.

It was not necessarily a surprise that Brock Holt signed late in free agency. Although he has been valuable with his defensive versatility and respectable bat, Holt has also spent a great deal of time on the Injured List over the past four years. The All Star season of 2015 is far in the rearview mirror at this point.

Signed by the Milwaukee Brewers to a one year contract worth $2.5 million, which has a $5 million option and a $750,000 buyout for 2021, Holt is facing uncertainty over his future. That uncertainty has come into play regarding the 2020 MLB season, where the league is attempting to cram a 60 game season into approximately two months during an upsurge in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Understandably, the players are concerned about this season. Several players, including David Price, have opted out. Others, such as Mike Trout and Buster Posey, have voiced their concerns with playing this season. Those are concerns that Holt shares as well, especially with three young children and his wife being pregnant.

Despite his trepidation, Holt is in Milwaukee, gearing up for the season. He does not feel that he has a choice, that if he opted out of the 2020 season, his major league career would be over. Essentially, he needs these 60 games to show that he can still be a valuable part of a contending team, worthy of a deal for next year and beyond.

That is the problem facing quite a few players, not just Holt. They know that their careers can be over in an instant, with some younger, less expensive player ready to take on their roles. For those veterans on one year deals, or in the final year of their contracts, the lack of a guaranteed payday beyond this year could force their hands.

Holt, when he has been on the diamond, has been a solid contributor. He has a lifetime .271/.340/.374 batting line in his 2295 plate appearances, hitting 108 doubles and stealing 35 bases. Holt has seen action at every position aside from pitcher and catch, proving to be a valuable option on any team’s bench.

But he has also seen action in just 354 games over the past four seasons as injuries have kept him on the sidelines. The 2020 season is pivotal to his future, as he needs to show that he can stay on the diamond. Opting out of the season, for as much as he may want to, could effectively end his time in the majors.

Brock Holt is torn between his safety and making sure that his career continues. He is not the only player in such a quandary.