CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from Jan. 11, 2021.
Francisco Lindor has played in four career MLB All-Star Games.
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And should he be elected to a fifth this season, the New York Mets shortstop says he'll be grateful that the game won't be played in Atlanta.
On Friday, Major League Baseball announced that it will be moving the MLB Draft and 2021 MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta due to a controversial voting law signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. The law places new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative oversight of elections, including requiring an ID number to apply for an absentee ballot, cutting off absentee ballot applications 11 days before an election and limiting the number of absentee ballot drop boxes.
“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views,” wrote Commissioner of Baseball, Robert D. Manfred Jr. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box… Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support."
Shortly after MLB made its announcement on Friday, Lindor took to Instagram to applaud the decision. Sharing a post from Bleacher Report detailing the news, Lindor wrote, "this makes me proud to be [an] MLB player."
Earlier this week, Lindor signed a 10-year, $341 million contract extension with the Mets, who acquired him in a trade with the Cleveland Indians in January. The deal is the third highest in all of baseball.