It took a spring training full of complaints and a month into the season, but Major League Baseball announced Friday they would finally fix two of the biggest gripes about its uniforms. The league will return to larger lettering and allow for tailored pants, but not until the 2025 season.
From the MLB press release:
For the 2025 season, Nike-designed MLB uniforms will include larger lettering on the back of jerseys with individual pant customization made available to all players. Nike is also working on a solution to address the slight color differences between the jerseys and pants of some Clubs’ gray road uniforms, as well the discoloration that can occur due to perspiration in certain instances. Once the solution is finalized, adjusted gray uniforms will go on field as soon as the second half of this season.
Pants customization was a major point of contention during spring training, including MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark saying, “Universal concern is the pant,” in an all-timer of a quote.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlbpa-boss-tony-clark-is-just-as-confused-about-mlbs-new-uniforms-as-you-are-universal-concern-is-the-pant/
The fix that could come later this year are the mismatched colors on road uniforms, which has been tracked by Paul Lukas at Uni-Watch since February. That was among the many complaints from players and fans alike since these Nike-designed, Fanatics-distributed uniforms were on full display beginning in spring training.
“I know everyone hates them,” former Dodgers infielder Trea Turner told the Associated Press in February. “We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.”
Jeff Passan at ESPN reported on Monday that these changes were coming, citing a memo from the MLB Players Association sent to the players that said, among other things, “At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”
In the press release on Friday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Player and Club feedback is extremely important to us. Together with Nike, we listened to our players and as a result, we are addressing their concerns.”