Seattle Mariners show absurdity of MLB labor stoppage

It is customary for teams to send out their well wishes when a franchise icon announces their retirement. Such was the case with the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday when long time third baseman Kyle Seager announced his surprising decision to retire. Even though the front office essentially shoved him out the door, and he deserved a better exit from the organization, there is a matter of decorum that must be followed.

The Mariners did put out such a statement on Wednesday, but it took longer than one would have expected. The reason for that is because the team needed to get permission from Major League Baseball to do so because of the lockout.

Seattle Mariners show absurdity in MLB labor stoppage

It should not be a surprise that the Mariners would have needed to receive permission to issue such a statement. After all, the league removed the images of all current players from every MLB controlled website due to the labor stoppage. Any news or reference to those players has been scrubbed.

So naturally, this would include the retirement of a franchise icon. The league had to give their express consent to acknowledge that moment, causing the Mariners’ statement to come out hours after Seager announced his departure from the game.

Given the status of the labor agreement, it makes sense that the league would have to approve of any statements. However, with his retirement, Seager no longer falls on the 40 man roster. He would not necessarily be subject to those rules.

But this just highlights another absurdity of the lockout. Teams should not need league permission to wish one of their stars well in retirement. It simply makes the league look even worse in the ongoing labor dispute, not that anyone involved with ownership or the Commissioner’s Office cares about public perception.

The Seattle Mariners needed to get permission to wish Kyle Seager well in retirement. It is another absurdity of the MLB labor stoppage.