Spring training is in full swing across Major League Baseball with games getting underway later this week. Teams and players are getting ready for the long grind of the 162-game season. Well, most players.
With Opening Day just around the corner, a decent-sized group of free agents remain unsigned. That includes reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bellinger, and Matt Chapman, among others.
Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story didn’t sign last offseason until March 23rd. He talked about the importance of spring training and how MLB could fix free agency while appearing on the Audacy original podcast “Baseball Isn’t Boring” this week.
“I think a normal spring training is often overlooked. Just the time on the field, the time in the box, the live ABs, getting up to speed, getting up to big-league speed. You got to respect that time,” Story said (4:50 in player above). “When you’re not allotted that time it can rear its head. It’s tough, man. I wish it wasn’t that way. With free agency in recent years, it’s not good.
“That type of timetable’s not good for the players or anybody. We all know that free agency is good for the players, obviously financially, but it’s tough. I wish there was a little different timetable on it.”
Spring training allows players the time to ramp up for the season. Story felt the effects of not having that last year and thinks there should be a change.
“Timetables are kind of a leverage point when it comes to negotiations. Sometimes the players get put up against the wall when it comes to free agency,” Story continued. “I’m not saying that’s the case all the time, both parties are involved there. But yeah, I wish there was a different way to get that to where everyone’s going to have a spring no matter what, whether that’s a timetable or deadline before.”
The other major sports leagues, particularly the NBA, have a rapid-fire period of free agency. While there isn’t a signing deadline in those leagues, perhaps the MLB would benefit from some sort of timetable.
“Yeah, that’s definitely my opinion,” Story said when asked about a signing deadline. “I wish it was like the NBA where free agency is open and then a lot of the players are signed within a week,” Story said, “or even a couple of days.”
“It’s fun when like the NBA it opens up and then boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. It’s an offseason where you know something’s coming,” he said. “I feel like we miss that in baseball where it could be a month and no one has signed, and then it can be two months and only a couple of people signed. It’s just a little different, I guess, now.”
Free agency used to be an exciting time for players. Now, however, players may be dreading it more than anything else.
“Free agency, you always speak about it. ‘I can’t wait to get to free agency. I can’t wait to do that,’” Story said. “It seems like that might be a little different now with the overall look of the timetable of it. It’s a stressful thing not knowing where you’re going to play.”
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