Several high-profile MLB players took to social media on Tuesday following commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to cancel regular season games, and they did not mince words on how they felt about it. On Wednesday, Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling elaborated on his frustrations about how negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement have gone, accusing the owners of not bargaining in good faith.
“It was an easy no, man," Stripling said of the union’s decision to reject the league’s most recent proposal, per Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. “Because, we felt like we were giving them a fair offer and they just didn’t budge on it this whole time. Since Dallas in December [when the lockout was implemented], they’ve just hardly budged at all.”
Stripling, who serves as the union-player representative for the Blue Jays, criticized the owners for utilizing what he felt were duplicitous negotiation tactics, particularly as Monday night’s bargaining session continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning.
