Pete Alonso accuses Major League Baseball of changing the game for financial gain.
The New York Mets slugger claimed Wednesday MLB "manipulates" baseballs each offseason depending on the composition of the next year's class of free agents. Alonso believes MLB juices balls ahead of years which have a strong class of free-agent pitchers and deadens them for campaigns in which high-profile position players become free agents or near the end of their arbitration cycles.
"I think the biggest concern is Major League Baseball manipulates the baseball year-in and year-out, depending on free-agency class, or guys being in an advanced part of their arbitration," Alonso said during a video press conference in response to a reporter's question about MLB cracking down on pitchers using substances to enhance their grip on the ball. "So I do think that's the big issue, the ball being different every single year. In other sports the ball is the same, like basketball, football, tennis, golf, the ball is the same.
"I think that is the real issue with the changing of the baseballs, and maybe if the league didn’t change the baseballs pitchers wouldn't need to use as much sticky stuff, because for guys who field the ball and throw the ball every single day and for every single year for it to change, it's not fair to the people who are using it every single day and throwing it."
Another reporter asked Alonso whether he was offering his opinion and whether it's something players "talk about and believe in."
"Oh no, that's a fact," he said.
As of Thursday morning, MLB hadn't commented on Alonso's charge, according to ESPN.
But don't be surprised if Alonso's pockets become a little lighter after MLB responds to his explosive accusation.
