PITTSBURGH _ As a veteran of 12 seasons, Ben Zobrist has been around long enough to know when something is wrong.
And Zobrist hopes the Major League Baseball Players Association will push for changes in the next collective bargaining agreement to assure that teams won't go through a stretch of 24 games without a day off _ as the Cubs completed Sunday.
"This is really why we really need to do something, union-wise, with this bargaining agreement," Zobrist said. "Even with makeup games, your body is not made to do that. Your mind is not made to do that. We've got to do better at taking care of players and making sure the fans get the best of the players when they're showcasing their abilities. When you're playing that many days, it ends up not being as much about excellence as it is about money and players' endurance."
Zobrist, 35, left it up to others to explore ways to avoid a repeat of the demanding stretch.
"There are a lot smarter people than me that can figure out better solutions, but there are solutions," Zobrist said. "There's got to be. Whatever it is, I think we need to do something about it. We've made a lot of strides over the years in making the game better for players to be able to stay healthy and showcase talent.
"But when you experience something like we've experienced the last 24 days, it's like, whoa, this is not the way our bodies are made to compete."
The current CBA states teams cannot play more than 20 dates without a scheduled day off, but the Cubs rescheduled a rainout with the Braves for Thursday.
