Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Spring Training camp for unsigned free agents will be at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The camp will open on Tuesday with the first workout coming on Wednesday.
The camp will be led by former Houston Astros manager Bo Porter. The players personal trainers will not be permitted while travel and housing will be arranged by the union. Rosenthal notes that the players will be given a daily per diem.
Camp will remain open until March 4, but could last longer based on attendance.
Original Post – Feb. 7
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports that the MLBPA is preparing to host a free-agent Spring Training. With over 100 free agents left, it is expected that many players will attend.
Pitchers and catchers for all 30 MLB teams will be reporting next week, with many players already at their team’s facilities.
The MLBPA is currently looking at sites throughout Florida and Arizona in the hopes of finding a facility that they can host the camp at. 22 years ago, a similar situation occurred in which they held a similar camp in Homestead, Florida.
As has been detailed most of the offseason, the relationship between free agents and front offices have become completely strained and this is yet another example of the situation getting worse.
The fact that they are actually going through the process of making this mini-camp suggests that many players do not believe that they are getting any closer to contract agreements.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2021 and this free agency period is certainly going to be one of, if not the hottest topic discussed when the MLBPA and the owners try to re-negotiate a new deal.
