Atlanta Braves GM’s interview sparks instant overreaction from MLBPA

Proposal rejected

Just four days ago, the MLBPA rejected a proposal from MLB that set a signing deadline for multi-year deals.

According to Evan Dreliich in the Athletic ($$), MLB proposed all signing be complete by the end of the Winter Meetings;  enter Mr. Meyer.

"“After due consideration, we rejected their proposal as not being in the best interests of players,” said Bruce Meyer, the MLBPA senior director of collective bargaining and legal. “We asked if MLB was interested in discussing other, more direct and tangible ways of incentivizing early signings and they weren’t at this time.”"

This idea was a non-starter from the beginning and looks like one of the Commissioner’s PR ploys: ‘hey, everybody, I’m trying to do something’. He’s done that with other issues like making the intentional walk pitch-free. This time the union sent its big gun out to make the statement… your move Mr. Manfred.

Atlanta Braves

The idea of such a deadline also seems like a sop to the media who whined all last winter because no one was making news.  It’s also something a judge or arbiter would quash pretty quickly, and it’s dumb.

Part of the problem with slow free-agent signings come from agents playing one team against another until someone blinks.  I understand that their job is getting the best deal for their client, but the idea that a player must beat another player’s AAV is pure ego – nothing to do with a better deal.

I digress, back to the statement that so upset the MLBPA.

Storm in a teacup

Atlanta Braves GM Anthopoulos’ comments were innocent, deals aren’t made if teams don’t talk. There are few big secrets in the game today, everyone knows what every teams will look for this winter, the only secrets are how they intend to get to their goal.

I can almost hear Clark and Meyer saying, “Gotcha!”  Any investigation they begin allows Meyer’s team to interview everyone Anthopoulos spoke to, take detailed statements, and gather related information –  texts, emails, etc. – designed to give Meyer a chance to find a reason to get in front of an arbiter or judge.

That’s a wrap

I’ve been watching this since everyone figured out Clark’s original negotiators didn’t do their job with the 2017-2021 CBA. Clark is over his head as  Executive Director of the player’s union. He got short-sheeted by a lawyer, feels chagrined, and wants to win one to put this right. Investigating such a meaningless statement has to be a ploy.

No team is going to give away its cunning plan to sign a super-duper free-agent stud and ask another team to help them do it. That’s a  foolish. notion, but it makes no difference. The kids want to fight, so they will fight.

The complaint they eventually argue, won’t look anything like the original focus of the investigation. They needed a reason to conduct interviews and gather documents. Now they have one, a simple statement is taken to mean something it clearly doesn’t mean. Who knew lawyers would do such a thing?

ED. NOTE/UPDATE:  Late last night, the Atlanta Braves issued this press release…

While everything Fred Owens has noted about this is true on its face, the Braves were likely asked to do this by MLB to try and calm the firestorm that Clark and the MLBPA are trying to whip up.

Regardless of the actual meaning of the original quote, Anthopoulos gave Clark just enough of an opening to force a truck through… hence the perceived need for this (re-)statement.

Any GM could make and probably made similar comments in the past, it just happened that Atlanta Braves Anthopoulos was the first into print at a time the Union and Clark wanted this fight.