Dodgers: Trevor Bauer predictably blasts MLB over sticky substance policy

MLB fans caught wind of the league’s forthcoming “sticky substance” policy on Monday night. Then the details were fully revealed on Tuesday.

So it was only a matter of time before Los Angeles Dodgers star Trevor Bauer sounded off on the whole ordeal. You knew it was coming. Your grandmother who doesn’t even watch baseball also knew it was coming.

But Bauer picked his spot wisely. He gave his two cents shortly after Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow eloquently criticized the new policy, which he believes directly contributed to the UCL injury he suffered on Monday night.

Glasnow said he was handling “slick” balls and had to grip them harder than usual, leading to him feeling a “tug” in his elbow. That’s when he decided not to push any further. Then came the diagnosis following an MRI.

All Bauer needed was a springboard and Glasnow delivered.

Good luck with this, MLB.

Dodgers’ Trevor Bauer destroyed MLB for their new sticky substance policy.

Once again, Rob Manfred’s office handles a serious and far-reaching issue poorly. What else is new? But this might be the most serious of them all.

Sticky substances have been omnipresent in the game of baseball for the better part of a century. And from what we’ve learned over the past year or so, there’s clearly a difference from ones that simply aid in helping a pitcher grip the ball and ones that are performance-enhancers. Rather than specify between the two, MLB simply banned everything.

That’s led to pitchers scrambling and adapting to life without substances in the middle of a season. Why not wait until the offseason to settle this? Or why not ban a certain very illegal substance and then work on the fine print once the 2021 campaign concludes?

We’re not saying this is the easiest issue for the league office to successfully handle at this very moment, but how did Manfred and Co. not take any input from players to determine what would be the best course of action? And if they did, then why did nobody listen? If players are already speaking out, it’s evident banning everything across the board was the wrong move.

Bauer’s response to the topic and ruling is spot on and exactly what we’ve been talking about for months. How much of a certain substance is too much? What substances are OK with hitters? What substances have been used for generations? What substances help a player undoubtedly gain a competitive edge?

This short-sighted, knee-jerk policy — after baseball has allowed the sticky situation to fester for however long its been — will only foster more negative discourse. We’re just hoping we don’t see more injuries as a result.

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