Planned Rays exhibition in Cuba could open door for O's to return
Jones' pie in the face
for game's star banned because of safety concerns
Major League Baseball Players Association chief
“I think based on the history that exists there — the sensitivities that exist there — that each event is a singular event, but I think they are undoubtedly all connected,” Clark said. “I think even the possibility of a spring training game is the result of the goodwill tour in December, and it's going well … the focal point being everyone's love and passion and commitment to baseball, and having Cuban players come back and having non-Cuban players be there and putting on clinics.
“Just a goodwill tour where there was no game and was really designed to see if we could create some open dialogue did just that to where — although challenging, although there are indeed some hurdles left to overcome — this is another opportunity to continue to move forward.”
The Orioles played a pair of games against a team of Cuban All-Stars, winning the first game at Havana's Estadio Latinoamericano on March 28, 1999, and losing to the Cubans at Camden Yards five weeks later.
It was a complicated venture that required State Department approval and a cooperative effort to steer around economic sanctions to upgrade the Havana ballpark to minimum major league standards. Some similar concerns still have to be resolved for the Rays' visit to go forward.
“I'm not naive enough to suggest there aren't some deep-rooted concerns with any number of people that are a part of this equation,” Clark said, “the focal point being baseball provides a bridge to move the line forward. If this game does happen, if this game goes well, if everybody enjoys themselves … we remain hopeful that it continues to grow and create momentum toward further opportunities.”
It didn't take long for the bad news to be revealed. Jones confirmed that the practice of him hitting the Orioles' star of the game in the face with a pie during the postgame MASN television interview has been banned for safety reasons.
“It's no one's fault,” Jones tweeted minutes later. “It's just about safety. At the end of the day it can be dangerous so we're being smart.”
It isn't the only new safety measure: Players apparently will not be allowed to ride Solowheels or hoverboards.
“The qualifying offer is one of the things that we are going to look to have a conversation on in bargaining,” he said. “Anytime you're sitting down even with the industry doing well, there are always things that are worth having more dialogue on. I'm certain baseball has their list. We have our list as well. The qualifying offer is one of them.”
Some free agents who declined a qualifying offer to pursue multiyear deals have remained unsigned throughout the offseason because teams were hesitant to give up their first unprotected draft pick. That has reduced their value on the open market.
“As it relates to the qualifying offer, I think it's disappointing when some of the best players in our game and some of the teams who have an interest in those best players, have hurdles to overcome in the effort to secure their services,” Clark said. “As a result, I don't see how it is necessarily beneficial on either side of the equation, and again it's what makes it worthy of more dialogue.”
The Orioles have used the qualifying offer process — which ties players who decline the offer to draft-pick compensation — to acquire key talent during two of the past three spring training camps. Before the 2014 season, the Orioles signed
This spring, they have given up their first-round pick to sign free agent
The game was tightly controlled and no score was kept, which was partly because neither team scored.
Relief pitcher
“It's all right,” Roe said. “It hit mostly meat instead of bone. It's stiffening up on me a little bit right now. We'll see how it is in the morning and go from there. … I'm just glad it didn't get me right on the bone. It would have hurt.”
Catching prospect
This afternoon's intrasquad game will last seven innings and feature most of the Orioles regulars. It will be played at the stadium and will not be open to the public.
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