PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — In some ways, the Mets reported to spring training against their will this weekend. Their three players on the Players Association board—righty Max Scherzer and shortstop Francisco Lindor, of the executive subcommittee, and outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the team representative—each voted no on the owners’ Thursday proposal for a new collective-bargaining agreement. But 26 of the other 35 union leaders voted yes, so both sides ratified the document and camps opened on Friday.
So, some 42 hours into labor peace, Scherzer, who has become the face of the union, and Nimmo, who polled his teammates and said he found them “on the same page,” addressed why they were willing to let the owner-imposed lockout drag beyond Day 99. One of the provisions they had most opposed is an additional penalty on spending above $290 million, which people around the industry believe is aimed at the Mets’ deep-pocketed owner.
“The Steve Cohen tax?” Nimmo said. “Obviously I'm not a huge fan, because that's Steve's tax, basically. But it's something that [the other owners] were passionate about, and they wanted. That was one thing that we weren’t totally for, but I get it, I guess. Obviously, being underneath Steve, I’m not gonna lie and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I was all for that.’ Definitely didn't want to limit him from spending the money that he has to spend the way he wants, but it is what it is. In the deal-making process, you gotta concede some things, and our majority felt like that was the right decision.”
