Major League Baseball issued warnings to a number of players last week for violating uniform regulations, adding to the tension between the league and the MLB Players Association.
Chicago Cubs utility man Ben Zobrist and Cleveland Indians starter Mike Clevinger took to social media to vent their frustrations for receiving warnings after the equipment they wore - specifically their cleats - violated the rules that that league said were collectively bargained.
A mutual agreement may be on the way, however, as the players' association and MLB have reportedly been in negotiations since spring training in hopes of adding some flexibility with player equipment and uniforms, one baseball official told Gabe Lacques of USA TODAY Sports.
Uniform and equipment rules were agreed upon in the recent CBA, and the league informed Zobrist and other players that the commissioner's office remains willing to negotiate on revisions to provide more flexibility. In a statement to USA TODAY Sports, however, the players' association said it has asked for modifications but the league wasn't willing to agree on those conditions.
"On multiple occasions, players have sought modifications to relax them - modifications that would enable players to express themselves more freely, to better engage a new generation of fans in a fun way, and to pay homage to our game's rich traditions. But our previous proposals have been either rejected or met with unbalanced demands for concessions. Their approach has therefore continued to lead to missed opportunities.”
The league requires players' cleats to feature at least 51 percent of the team's primary color. The Cubs' primary color is blue, which prevents Zobrist from wearing all-black cleats.
Players do have the freedom to wear more exuberant cleats on designated dates such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, and the Players Weekend.
