SAN DIEGO — Lockout-related questions linger across Major League Baseball for players like Padres pitcher Craig Stammen, along with near-constant tinkering to Plans A, B … and Z.
Will spring training start on time? Will the season be delayed? How do you handle workouts without input from the manager, coaches or trainers as the Collective Bargaining Agreement kerfuffle drags on?
Start with Gumby-like flexibility.
"Not being able to check in with trainers and say, 'Hey, I got this going on,' you have to have your own support system," Stammen said this week from his Ohio home, about an hour north of Dayton.
"We've got an almost completely new coaching staff wishing they could talk to us. You're missing that team-chemistry building where you know each other a bit before you show up to spring training.
"We're in limbo. Five weeks away, you start to wonder, will we be there? And what will that look like if I have to stay home?"
The stomachs of Padres players undoubtedly are rumbling for baseball beyond the boardroom, given the sour taste of a season that began with unprecedented promise and buzz.
Wholesale changes to the coaching staff and the hiring of proven veteran manager Bob Melvin should dust away plenty of cobwebs. At the time the clubhouse craves traction and a return to comfortable annual rhythms, though, questions easily outpace answers.
"Do you go to a college team and practice with them for a day or two or three?" said Stammen, a 12-year veteran who will turn 38 in March. "For me in Ohio, it's going to be cold so it would have to be indoors."
Some staples remain.
"The physical part is probably the easiest because we all have our routines at this point," he said. "After the holidays, pitchers start throwing a lot more. Hitters get in the cage to hit. Some of that is status quo.
"Maybe one thing is, it's quieter. You're not getting all the questions, 'How much do you weigh' or 'What are your workouts?' "
Though normal offseason communication has been stunted, the new manager Melvin used the limited time wisely.
"He called me and we chatted," Stammen said. "Then we had a pitcher's Zoom call, where he introduced himself to others he hadn't met, the day before the lockout. We talked about the pitching plan so we can hit the ground running for 2022.
"He's going to be a great leader. I've heard nothing but great things about him from former players and teammates of his."
Stammen said he is about to start throwing from the mound. Unlike past seasons, he's finding himself in an increasingly unusual place as he inches closer to toeing the rubber.
The spot? In front of a computer.
Stammen is the Padres' team representative during labor talks, meaning he jumps on Zoom calls as the players association polishes its negotiating approach. The role came after a special request from a somewhat surprising source.
"I had a conversation with (Padres Vice Chairman) Ron Fowler, on the (MLB owners) negotiations group," Stammen said. "He asked if I would be the rep. I don't know if that was because of experience, being older. He knows I'm not emotional when it comes to things.
"And I hope he thinks I have my head on straight and process information without taking things personally. But I don't know for sure, to be honest."
In addition to compensation issues, Stammen said a key point of contention is competitive balance. Whispers of "tanking" under current rules, an argument championed by super-agent Scott Boras, gained steam during the November GM meetings in Carlsbad.
"We want every team competing for a World Series championship, not five teams here and five teams there," Stammen said.
That's code for more teams pumping more money into player acquisition and retention. Instead of shedding payroll at the trade deadline for a longer build, players hope the new CBA rewards those who choose to win in the now.
Owners, no doubt, will counter that the shortened COVID-19 season of 2020 and reduced fan capacity that continued for many into 2021 led to losses baseball contends soared beyond $1 billion. Then again, club valuations rose as well.
Ready, set … dig in your heels.
"It's part frustration and part knowing this is how the process was going to go," Stammen said. "The players want to play. And I'm sure the owners want, 'Boom, we're playing baseball' and everybody's happy.
"Hopefully we can come to a compromise that benefits everyone and baseball."
Getting back on the field would be a good start.
