Ottavino: Players closely watching MLB vs. union

Fans will celebrate the return of baseball next week when pitchers and catchers report for spring training, but it’s the business side of baseball that’s making headlines and creating hard feelings that could linger for years.

With an unprecedented number of high-profile free agents still without contracts, a war of words and accusations has broken out between Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association and some highpowered agents.

Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino, the team’s player representative, said Wednesday that players around the league are watching it unfold with keen interest.

“I don’t know how this is all going to turn out, but I will say that everybody is paying close attention,” said Ottavino, who’s entering the final year of his contract. “What comes out of this will certainly be noticed by all 1,200 players in the union.”

Tony Clark, executive director of the players’ union, released a statement on Tuesday that said some clubs are engaged in a “race to the bottom” that “threatens the integrity of the game.” In essence, Clark accused some teams of tanking and said that is one of the reasons why so many players remain unsigned.

A number of players responded on Twitter, including veteran Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta. Responding to a fan’s comment, Iannetta tweeted: “This conversation isn’t about money. It’s about the integrity of the game and competition.”

According to ESPN Stats & Information, only nine players have received three-year contracts this offseason, compared to 27 a year ago.

Teams have spent $780 million on free agents this winter, compared to $1.45 billion a year ago and $2.53 billion during the 2015-16 offseason. Some of the most high-profile players — including Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, J.D. Martinez, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lance Lynn and Alex Cobb — remain unsigned. Martinez, a slugging outfielder, has reportedly turned down a fiveyear, $125 million offer from Boston and is willing to sit out spring training waiting for a better contract.

MLB, to no one’s surprise, defends its product.

“Our Clubs are committed to putting a winning product on the field for their fans,” MLB said in a statement. “Owners own teams for one reason: they want to win. In Baseball, it has always been true that Clubs go through cyclical, multiyear strategies directed at winning.”

The statement went on to say that while some of the best free agents remain unsigned, they have “substantial offers, some in nine figures…To lay responsibility on the Clubs for the failure of some agents to accurately assess the market is unfair, unwarranted, and inflammatory.”