It’s pretty clear that Major League Baseball players have had it with owners and executives telling them to adjust their contractual and financial expectations on the open market.
On Monday, Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander sent several tweets critical of the state of free agency and calling out the amount of tanking teams who are cutting payroll but keeping ticket prices the same in an environment where MLB revenues are higher than ever. That elicited a response from David Samson, who served as president of the Miami Marlins from 2002 through 2017, suggesting that players need to adapt to the fact that the market isn’t paying as much as it used to.
There is a problem that will not be fixed by players systematically tweeting about the broken system. The reality is that players and agents have to adjust to a new reality. https://t.co/MLP7Mu9Qjg
— David P. Samson (@DavidPSamson) February 11, 2019
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, who spent the first five years of his career with the Marlins while Samson was president, responded by accusing Samson of engaging in “anti player rhetoric.”
Consistent with your anti player rhetoric but adjusting to this “new reality” isn’t exactly the solution either https://t.co/OT8Z9HpGgH
— Christian Yelich (@ChristianYelich) February 11, 2019
Verlander, Yelich, and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey have all spoken out in the last few days over the state of free agency that sees the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado unsigned as pitchers and catchers begin to report. All three players are respected veterans and former league MVPs. It’s a pretty clear sign that players recognize that even as revenues rise, owners and executives are trying to bring player costs down, and they’re not happy about it. With that in mind, it’s pretty easy to see why another prominent player has suggested that an eventual players’ strike may be the only way to address the issue.
