Blue Jays SP Ross Stripling Speaks Out on MLB Lockout, CBA Negotiations

Ross Stripling is thoughtful and calculated with his words.

After good starts or blowups on the mound, he often outlines to the media exactly what was working or what was off that day.

So, when Stripling spoke to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the continuation of MLB's lockout and the cancelation of regular-season games, the Toronto Blue Jays pitcher had some choice words about the negotiation process and baseball's owners.

"It's like that stupid football quote," Stripling told Sporstnet. "They are who we thought they were."

After reports came out late Monday evening and into Tuesday morning that negotiations were progressing, and some topics were finally being agreed upon, optimism surfaced about the chances of a deal. An ownership spokesperson said there was a tone shift on Tuesday from the MLBPA, leading to the collapse in talks, but statements from players across the league and from Stripling indicate things may not have ever been that close.

"It got to be like 12:30 and the fine print of their CBT proposal was stuff we had never seen before,” Stripling told Davidi and Nicholson-Smith. “They were trying to sneak things through us, it was like they think we're dumb baseball players and we get sleepy after midnight or something."

Stripling's frustration was shared by several players on social media, including pitcher Alex Wood who called the optimism "PR illusion" from the league and former Toronto outfield Kevin Pillar asking baseball to "use some of their PR tactics to promote the stars in our game."

Even with missed pay now a reality for the league's players, the MLBPA is largely united in messaging. When asked if they're prepared for the missed time at a post-negotiations press conference, union rep Andrew Miller had a clear message.

"We're prepared," he said.

H/T Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith

Read Stripling's full quotes in Davidi and Nicholson-Smith's breakdown, here.

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