Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake has officially announced that he will be exercising his right to opt out of playing in 2020. The 32 year old righthander is 5th year of a 5 year, $80 million deal, and will be forfeiting around $5.5 million — the pro-rated portion of the $15 million he was scheduled to make this year, pre-pandemic.
Leake was the #8 overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, and was in the majors by the 2010 season. He has spent most of his career as a reliable if unspectacular starter, though he has bounced around the last half-decade — the Reds traded him to the San Fracnisco Giants at the trade deadline in 2015, and after that season, he joined the St.