Joe Pohlad appeared to have placed a dismal bow over the Minnesota Twins offseason last week, but there may be more hill to climb.
Twins supporters were outraged by Pohlad’s statements, which reaffirmed the team’s unwillingness to spend its way to World Series contention. Nobody was surprised by what he stated; they were simply disappointed that another generation of owners is carrying on the penny-pinching legacy.
It turns out that what he said outraged more than just Twins fans. Pohlad’s statement came at a time when free agents such as Cody Bellinger and Blake Snell are looking for big contracts, and the player’s union was upset over what it believes was a violation of the CBA.
The Twins are in serious water with the MLBPA for Joe Pohlad’s statements about not spending.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the player’s union is considering launching a formal complaint against Pohald following his statements about refusing to satisfy the demands of elite free agents.
It’s not because the Twins aren’t allowed to be a frugal franchise; rather, Pohlad uttered the quiet bit aloud during a radio appearance.
“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 said in an interview with WCCO. “What I will say about some flexibility is that when Derek [Falvey] and his team believe there is a good chance in front of us, we don’t live by a strict figure. That being said, we will not spend $30 million on a player right now.
While those comments irritated Twins fans, they may possibly have breached the collective bargaining agreement’s reservation of rights section regarding media use.
This section of the CBA is where Pohlad may have gotten the team into some hot water:
“None of the Covered Parties may make media statements about the value of an unsigned free agent, or about possible or planned terms for an unsigned free agent, regardless of whether discussions have taken place. The limitations apply equally to remarks on and off the record, as well as those submitted anonymously or published without identifying the source (e.g., “an industry source”).
– MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Some relevant context: The news of a prospective complaint came a day after Cody Bellinger returned to the Cubs for $80 million, significantly less than he was looking for and roughly around the $30 million AAV Pohald turned down.
It remains to be seen whether any penalty will result from this, and Pohlad appears unlikely to be singled out. He is not the only MLB executive to have said something similar, as the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers have also shown a preference to keep cash rather than spend it.
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