Foltynewicz worried players unfairly painted as 'bad guys' in pay dispute
Atlanta Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz is trying to stay in game shape while awaiting news of what the 2020 MLB season will look like if it gets underway.
With tensions rising between the players' union and team owners over financial compensation - Tampa Bay Rays lefty Blake Snell openly criticized potential pay cuts early this week - Foltynewicz says owners will likely be fine and players have been unfairly maligned.
"I think if we do play and all these TV deals work out, these guys (owners) will make money," Foltynewicz told The Athletic's David O'Brien in an interview. "But they’re not going to get into the details of their business and all that. They kind of want to push that on us and have us bitch about it, so we can look like the bad guys."
Lawyers representing the players' union asked owners for documents outlining their finances earlier this week, according to Ronald Blum of The Associated Press.
Foltynewicz acknowledged how delicate the decision-making process will be to get baseball back in 2020 while also giving all sides the best deal possible. He's not exactly envious of commissioner Rob Manfred.
"I would not want to be these guys making all these decisions, the commissioner and these guys," he said. "Because you’re not sleeping. You’ve got all the negative people out in the world just hounding everybody to kind of get this going, telling us to shut it and go play baseball and stop worrying about money."
Foltynewicz has been playing catch daily with teammates Mike Soroka and Sean Newcomb, and the Braves' pitchers started throwing simulated innings against live hitters this past Tuesday.
"We’re just itching to play," Foltynewicz said. "We’re almost at a point where we’re losing a whole year of baseball. Every day counts here. That goes by. I just feel bad for the guys. The veteran guys on the brink of retirement; this could’ve been a year for them to show, 'I’ve still got it.' Play a last year and let them enjoy it."
"Some of the veteran guys, they knew this was going to be their last year, and then this happens," he added.