Van Slyke said the players want to compete because they have such a limited time in their careers to do so and they want to earn their pay checks rather than sit at home and collect them, but if he were still playing he'd not want to go if given the choice.
He said that while, financially he understands the desire to get the season underway, there are too many logistic issues to be concerned with and players need ample time to get ready to play so we don't see a large number of injuries. In addtion, there is also the idea that he believes this would not send the right message to the rest of society who is not yet able to get back to work.
“Why does Major League Baseball get to go back to work first," asked Van Slyke. “What privilege do they have that some restaurant doesn't have? I think it really set a bad precedent. What you’re saying to the rest of the country is that these are special people that are above what the CDC and the rest of the country is doing.
"The only way the baseball season is going to start off is if the rest of the country starts up together."