It seems that Joe Pohlad’s remarks from last week offended more people than simply Twins supporters.
Although Joe Pohlad appeared to have tied a gloomy bow on the Minnesota Twins offseason last week, there may still be more hills to climb.
Twins supporters took offence at Pohlad’s remarks, which implied the team has no intention of spending its way into the World Series. No one was shocked by his remarks; instead, they were disappointed that the legacy of frugal spending is being continued by a new generation of owners.
It turns out that his remarks offended more people than simply Twins supporters. The player’s union took offence at what it saw to be a potential CBA breach, and Pohlad made his statement at a time when free agents like Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger are pursuing expensive deals.
The MLBPA has taken issue with Joe Pohlad’s remarks regarding the Twins not spending
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the player’s union is thinking of officially complaining to Pohald over his remarks about not wanting to comply with the expectations of elite free agents.
Not because the Twins can’t be a frugal team, but rather because Pohlad said the quiet bit aloud in a radio interview.
“You see that both with the Tampa Bay Rays and with the Baltimore Orioles having lower payrolls, turning out very successful products on the field but also investing in other areas of the business,” Pohlad told the radio station WCCO. “I will say this about flexibility: we don’t live fast and furious by a certain figure when Derek [Falvey] and his colleagues believe the right chance is in front of us. Having said that, we will not be spending $30 million on a player at this time.”
Although their remarks offended Twins supporters, it’s possible that they broke the collective bargaining agreement’s reservation of rights section regarding media use.
Here’s where Pohlad may have put the team in hot water with the CBA:
“Regardless of whether negotiations have taken place, none of the Covered Parties may remark to the media regarding the worth of an unsigned free agent or about terms that may be considered for one. Both on and off the record remarks, as well as remarks made on the condition of anonymity or remarks released without crediting the source (such as “an industry source”), are subject to the same restrictions.
Collective Bargaining Agreement for MLB
A few crucial background details The rumours of a possible lawsuit surfaced one day after Cody Bellinger signed a $80 million contract with the Cubs, which is far less than what he was hoping for and exactly at the $30 million AAV Pohald rejected.
It is unclear whether Pohlad will face special treatment as a result of this, and it does not appear likely that he will. The San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers have also made it known that they would like to hoard cash rather than spend it, so he is not the first MLB executive to have essentially said the same thing.
Pohlad ought to take a beating from supporters for his thrift during a period when expenditure may have increased the team’s competitiveness. Nevertheless, it doesn’t exactly seem fair to have a complaint filed for confessing to being frugal.
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