MLBPA head: Free-agent camp will close on March 9
The makeshift spring training camp created by the Major League Baseball Players Association to help unsigned free agents during a slow offseason will close at the end of the week.
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said Wednesday it will close on March 9, according to David Lennon of Newsday.
The camp, which took place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and began in mid-February, was open to any free agents who accrued major-league service time during the 2017 season.
"Our goal here is to provide a training facility that guys can use if they want to stay sharp and/or work into baseball shape, in the event that they get a call from an interested team and want to be able to hit the ground running once they arrive," Clark said through a spokesperson last month. "It is a controlled environment that is much the same as many players already have in place in their home cities. As such, it provides the same opportunities to be seen and be worked out if the agent and player are interested in doing so."
A number of players such as free-agent infielder Neil Walker, as well as first basemen Lucas Duda and Mike Napoli (before they found deals), attended the camp, which earned the nickname "Camp Jobless" and was run by former Houston Astros manager Bo Porter.
The players formed a team to go up against a Japanese squad last week.