NEWSLETTER
Whatever you might think about Jason Heyward’s role with the Chicago Cubs going forward or his performance since signing as a free agent, there is little doubt that his has always been an influential voice with the team. There’s a reason his Game Seven rain delay speech even came out in the first place, let alone was elevated to the stuff of legend. For a lot of players, when Jason Heyward speaks, it matters.
That’s why it was extremely notable that he just posted a lengthy take on Instagram about the lockout, the CBA negotiations, and the state of the union. It is an explanation of how the players see things after MLB unilaterally started cancelling games. More than that, it is a full-throated endorsement of the cynical (and likely correct!) view that the owners entered into these CBA negotiations always intending to cancel some games and save some expenses in the part of the season that generates the least revenues. Only in the event that they got the players to accept another overwhelmingly owner-friendly CBA would that outcome be avoided.
I’ll stop and turn it over to Heyward. The gloves are off:
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Heyward also shared selections from Ken Rosenthal’s latest, which is a similarly brutal takedown of how MLB has behaved and the shame it should feel in this moment. It seems no one is holding back anymore.
The aspect that is truly unconscionable is the almost blithe, even reckless approach by Rob Manfred and the owners.
They have been unable to build a functional relationship with the players, and are unapologetic about it.
✍️ @Ken_Rosenthal https://t.co/Z2SmoTE5BD
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 2, 2022
Willson Contreras, another key veteran voice on the Chicago Cubs, also shared a key portion from Rosenthal’s article, similarly making his thoughts known in the caption:
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These are leaders on the Cubs, veteran players who’ve been doing this for a very long time, and they deserve to be heard. By all public accounts thus far, the players are simply seeking a fair and reasonable Collective Bargaining Agreement that accounts for revenue growth within the game. The negotiations so far seemed to have nothing to do with actually reaching an agreement.
The players are not going to stay quiet at this point. This is likely only the beginning of public messaging, which increasingly seems not so much directly guided by the union, but is just a group of individual humans who care about the game and their careers, and want to be heard. I would think fans can relate to that.
