Times in the MLB have become a little hairy over the past few weeks with a handful of issues being tossed around. What has been highlighted the most, however, are the persistent issues between the MLBPA and the MLB. The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union that represents all active players and is currently led by former player Tony Clark. Relations between the league and the union have been increasingly tense since the last collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was signed in 2022, and these past couple weeks have added fuel to the fire.
The Jerseys
One of the more publicized issues concerns MLB’s new jersey partners. Nike, who oversees the uniforms, has Fanatics manufacturing them this season. Since they were announced, there have been nothing but issues and complaints from fans and players, but it doesn’t seem like the league will respond. Players say the uniforms feel cheap, some pants and jerseys aren’t the same shades of gray or white, players are easily sweating through them, fans hate them and some teams haven’t even received their alternate uniforms yet. Things started to blow up when spring training photos were taken, and the pants were see-through and the lettering for the names was too small. This led many fans to complain online, and players to complain to their union. The Kansas City Royals had to fight to keep the larger lettering for their players and are the only team that’s maintained them over the transition. Many have seen this and called out the MLB for being unwilling to cough up the money to produce the best quality for their players. This has pinned the MLBPA and MLB against each other in recent weeks. MLB has again announced that they’ll work on fixing the issues but have not yet taken action.
The Coup
An internal spat was brought to the forefront of the sporting world just a few weeks ago when a group of players attempted to oust current MLBPA deputy director Bruce Meyer and replace him with lawyer Harry Marino. This coordinated coup had players like Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty address the MLBPA’s executive council demanding that the union replace Meyer with Marino to no avail. Players seemed to be concerned with the chokehold Scott Boras has over the union, an agent who typically performs well for his clients in free agency but failed miserably this year. With five of MLB’s top free agents under his agency (Montgomery, Snell, Chapman, Bellinger, Martinez), Boras essentially secured them all one-to-three-year deals, dragging out free agency deep into March. Marino is a former minor leaguer who helped reshape the collective bargaining agreement back in 2022 to be more accommodating to MLB players, an issue that was persistent for decades. Like many players, Marino wants the union to gain more independence and a stronger voice, something that the current regime has hindered. While not everyone was for this change, Flaherty has come out and apologized after the news went public. While not much else has been reported on this issue, many are worried that this can become a bigger problem over time, and eventually boil over in 2026 when the current CBA is up.
The Injuries
The final issue I’ll talk about is the abnormally high rate of pitching injuries. In the last week alone, pitchers like Shane Bieber (Guardians), Spencer Strider (Braves) and Eury Perez (Marlins) have gone down with significant arm injuries. The reason for this uptick in long-term arm injuries is currently being debated between the union and the league. The MLBPA came out with a statement arguing that the number of rule changes over the past few seasons has contributed to the number and severity of pitching injuries and that some of these rules should be reconsidered. MLB followed up with a statement of their own, claiming they’ve done the research and found that not to be the case and that they are working on solving the issue. In a sense, the MLBPA believes that the pitch clock, timer between inning and some of the other changes has been putting more stress on pitchers arms, creating a situation where forcing pitchers to deliver faster is doing damage. Some inside the MLB have brought up the argument that pitchers arm angles have changed drastically while putting more emphasis on velocity and movement. This once again pins the MLBPA and MLB against each other with differing views.
There is a lot brewing between these two parties, none of which is good. As I previously mentioned, the CBA is in effect until 2026, but it would be no surprise if there is another lockout. As for possible solutions, I’m not sure. Fans and players can at least celebrate the fact that commissioner Rob Manfred announced he’ll be stepping down at the end of his contract in 2029. Hopefully the league hires someone willing to represent both the league and the union well (my money’s on Theo Epstein).