Players’ Union Pushes Back on M.L.B.’s Portrayal of Astros Investigation

Clark said that he was not surprised that players around the major leagues were upset over the scandal. In his statement Tuesday night, he said that the union had discussed proposals with M.L.B. that could potentially allow for player discipline over issues like sign stealing.

But Clark added on Wednesday that players should remember the union defended the rights of every player, and that he was not going to apologize for doing so.

He also expressed hope that the players could use their anger to fuel conversations about the future of the sport. He met with Mets players for close to two hours on Wednesday, and he plans to have similar meetings with other teams throughout spring training.

“The focus now moving forward is: OK, so what does that look like?” Clark said. “I think everybody and every player that we talk to has no interest in what we’ve seen manifest itself here manifesting again.”

One solution, Clark said, might be to censor what in-game video teams are able to access by providing only certain views or angles, which would prevent teams from seeing opposing catchers’ signs.

Mets outfielder Michael Conforto, who is the team’s union representative, said it was important to take a measured approach to changes. Some players, he noted, like to go into the video room during games to look at their timing and swing, while other players, such as Conforto, avoid doing so.

“There’s a lot of talk about trying to find a common ground.” he said. “I think the attitude was to not overdo it and completely shut everything down.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/sports/baseball/mlb-players-union-tony-clark.html