Cardinals: Jack Flaherty, Max Scherzer vocal about MLB lockout

St. Louis Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty and star pitcher Max Scherzer are being vocal about their displeasure with MLBs handling of the lockout.

When it comes to the MLB lockout, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty is one of the most vocal players. He is firmly involved in the current state of talks, is thoughtful and is not afraid to speak his mind when the opportunity presents itself.

Flaherty, of course, has said that he “can only say so much.” But he echoed star pitcher Max Scherzer’s thoughts on Twitter late Wednesday night, saying: “I was in Florida. We never offered the international draft. We did discuss it, but MLB told us they were NOT going to offer anything for it. At that point, we informed all players and agreed to no draft. This is MLB muddying the waters and deflecting blame. Fans, please hang in there with us.”

The international draft remains the biggest obstacle preventing an agreement. Had MLB not demanded it at the 11th hour, there would be a clear path toward a deal. Instead, despite clear progress in talks, it’s holding up a deal – and made the frustrations of Flaherty and other players throughout the league grow stronger.

Additionally, Flaherty shared a long thread from Jeff Passan of ESPN who talked to David Ortiz, perhaps the most influential baseball voice in the Dominican Republic, who is strongly against the idea of the international draft. It speaks to the players’ frustration regarding the idea – Fernando Tatis Jr. and other prominent names have also spoken out against it – believing that it will significantly impact baseball in the DR.

Perhaps MLB and the MLBPA are able to work around the international draft or come to a compromise that will allow baseball to come back later this week. But considering the current state of talks, and the rampant pessimism from both sides, such a scenario feels unlikely.

Flaherty has voiced his displeasure. If talks continue to trend this way, we’ll surely hear more from him.