Tension between MLB players and the league office "remains palpable, and players seem, more than ever, ready to fight" when the current CBA expires in '21, according to Nightengale, Lacques & Ortiz of USA TODAY. A poll was conducted among 63 current MLBers regarding several issues facing the league, including whether a strike was necessary in three years "to regain losses incurred in previous CBAs." Just 26 players responded, as the strong wording "gave many respondents pause, given that three years remain until the next round of collective bargaining." However, 17 of the responded deemed a strike was needed and many of those who declined to answer "indicated that in the absence of change, they are prepared to walk out if necessary." Of the yes respondents, three are players "significantly impacted by last winter’s free agent freeze." Meanwhile, more than half of the respondents agreed that the pace-of-play changes are working this year. Twenty-eight players said that the changes "were working, with 21 opposed; among some, this relatively innocuous question revealed underlying tensions." An NL veteran player said, “Asking if pace of play changes are working assumes there was a problem in the first place.” The average time of a nine-inning game is 2 hours, 59 minutes, "down six minutes from the record-long 3:05 mark set last year" (USA TODAY, 6/29).
WINTER FREEZE FRESH IN THEIR MINDS: In Pittsburgh, Adam Bittner notes the poll comes after an "offseason in which many veteran free agents waited longer than normal to find work and, in some cases, were forced to settle for surprisingly cheap deals." The Pirates "chose to sign no major league free agents and were one of four teams hit with a grievance" by the MLBPA over "use of revenue sharing money" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/29).
