Major League Baseball is investigating whether ownership of the New York Yankees and New York Mets had improper communications regarding free agent Aaron Judge at the request of the MLB Players Association, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and Mets owner Steve Cohen are expected to provide MLB with text, phone, and email records.
The MLBPA requested the investigation after a story from SNY.com reported that Steinbrenner and Cohen "enjoy a mutually respectful relationship, and do not expect to upend that with a high-profile bidding war." The concern stems from attempts by owners in the past to collude in order to drive down player salaries.
This is not the only situation the union is requesting an investigation. Also flagged are comments from Houston Astros owner Jim Crane regarding free agent Justin Verlander. Crane suggested that Verlander was seeking a deal similar to Max Scherzer's three-year, $130 million contract.
According to MLB's collective bargaining agreement, clubs are prohibited from discussing contract negotiations publicly.
In order to win the grievance, the union would have to prove whether Judge or Verlander had lost market value in free agency as a result of the collusion.
On Thursday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addressed The Athletic's report, stating: "I’m absolutely confident that the clubs behaved in a way that was consistent with the agreement."
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