Major League Baseball is investigating whether a published article about the New York Mets’ reluctance to pursue free agent Aaron Judge constitutes a violation of the collective bargaining agreement, The Athletic and ESPN reported.
The MLB Players Association requested an inquiry after a story published on the website of Mets’ television station SNY earlier this month, per the reports. The story cited sources saying that Mets owner Steve Cohen and New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner don’t expect a Big Apple bidding war for Judge.
At issue is this paragraph from the story:
“Talking to Mets people about this all through the year, the team in Queens sees Judge as a Yankee, uniquely tailored to be an icon in their uniform, stadium and branding efforts. Owners Steve Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner enjoy a mutually respectful relationship, and do not expect to upend that with a high-profile bidding war.”
The union asked the league to look into whether that constitutes collusion between the teams, per the reports.
MLB is expected to request communications between Cohen and Steinbrenner, including calls, texts and emails, per the reports.
–Field Level Media