Alex Wood Tweets Accusation at MLB Owners Regarding Alleged Negotiation Tactics

After nine days of negotiations, the players rejected the league's final CBA proposal, and the Giants pitcher was not pleased with the owners’ tactics.

After meeting for over 16 hours on Monday, reports of MLB’s negotiations with the players association began to take a turn for the optimistic after a week of mostly fruitless talks. But as Tuesday’s meetings continued, multiple outlets reported that talks had turned sour, with league officials saying the players had struck a “different note” after Monday night’s discussions had hinted toward a path to a deal.

MLB official said they thought they had a “path to a deal” last night when they extended the deal but that the union has struck a different note today. The official further stated thru league would make one final best offer and hope for the best. Things Obvs have turned south.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 1, 2022

At least one prominent player has taken issue with that characterization.

Giants pitcher Alex Wood expressed his frustration on Twitter with the framing that the players have stood in the way of a new deal, saying that MLB ownership had “pumped the media” with that narrative to sway public opinion. Wood asserted that the players have had the “same tone” throughout negotiations and simply want a new deal so they can resume playing.

FWIW MLB has pumped to the media last night & today that there’s momentum toward a deal. Now saying the players tone has changed. So if a deal isn’t done today it’s our fault. This isn’t a coincidence. We’ve had the same tone all along. We just want a fair deal/to play ball.

— Alex Wood (@Awood45) March 1, 2022

Wood, who’s entering his 10th big-league season, went 10–4 with a 3.83 ERA in 26 starts for San Francisco last season, and was an All-Star in 2017.