The Major League Baseball Players Association has hired Carlos Gómez, per Tenchy Rodriguez of Z101. The former big leaguer will be a special assistant to MLBPA executive director Tony Clark.
Gómez, now 38, retired in 2021 after a 13-year career in the big leagues. He played in 1,461 big league games between the Mets, Twins, Brewers, Astros, Rangers and Rays. He hit 145 home runs and stole 268 bases while providing excellent outfield defense, leading to a career tally of 25.9 wins above replacement from FanGraphs.
It seems his post-playing days will see him get involved with the union, which has naturally been in a prominent role in recent years. After a few decades of relative labor peace, Major League Baseball locked out the players in the 2021-2022 offseason. A new collective bargaining agreement was eventually agreed to, which saw significant changes, including increasing pay for younger players, big bumps in the luxury tax, measures to decrease service time manipulation and more.
Beyond that, the MLBPA also began representing minor league players and eventually worked out a new CBA between those players and the league. That agreement led to pay increases for minor league players as well as some medical and pension provisions and other details. Another wrinkle was just reported last night by Jeff Passan of ESPN, who relays that the union is now certifying agents who only represent minor leaguers. Previously, an agent needed to represent at least one 40-man roster player.
Worst Astros trade since Joe Morgan
Django
Counter:
Kenny Lofton, Ken Caminiti and Curt Schilling.
Not a fan of the Big Taub?
Not to be confused with Brandon Taubman
Good point, but Little Joe stung the most.
And Morgan hated that nickname.
Not suggesting Lofton, Caminiti or Schilling were better than the Little General, just worse than Carlos Gomez and “since Joe Morgan”
Typo:
Just “better” than Carlos Gomez and “since Joe Morgan”
At least Hader came back to Houston.
And here were the best:
Justin Verlander (2017), Jeff Bagwell, Jose Cruz, Mike Scott, Carlos Beltran (For a year, though.), Yordan Alvarez, Gerrit Cole (Musgrove was big, but he became a great pitcher for the Padres)
CarGo-lite
Carlos Gonzalez career WAR 24.4
Carlos Gomez career WAR 24.3
LOL
Carlos Gomez was “Go-go” not CarGo. At least from the Twins nickname perspective.
Baseball Reference shows both.
Brewer fan that loved Carlos’ energy and passion for the game.
Wasn’t Gomez a beast with the Rockies for several seasons?….If not, who am I thinking of?
That was Carlos Gonzalez, not Gomez.
He was very good with the Brewers. He was traded because they anticipated a huge contract. First traded to the Mets for Zach Wheeler and Wilmer Flores. After the deal was announced, the Mets backed out, claiming he was injured. The next day he was traded to Houston for Josh Hader and others.
Yeah now I’m remembering him with the Brewers, thx.
Ahh yeah thats it, thx. I immediately thought of ‘Car-Go’ but didn’t see the mention of the Rockies.
Carlos Gomez was nicknamed “Go-go”
Carlos Gomez’s nickname was “Go-Go”, ostensibly because he was faster than Car-Go.
Gomez broken into the league a year before Gonzalez, and Gomez got his nickname from Twins manager Ron Gardenhire because Gomez was fast.
I loved Go-go with the Brew. His personality is similar to Adames now.
Glad to know they’re hiring mild-mannered players to advise the president of the MLBPA
Just because someone was fiery on the field doesn’t mean they won’t be mild mannered in meetings… sometimes you need fire at the table to make things happen anyway
As a union member of almost twenty years, I agree. I sat on a picket line for a month after my company locked us out in the cold. We got a new “fiery” BA who secured us a much better contract.
Iron balls that’s a stellar post username combo my union brother! As a union member myself that gets a 100 from me. My local hasn’t needed to strike since ive been there but I’m on the exec committee at my shop and I can definitely confirm that you don’t win a good deal for your membership by being mild mannered and showing management that you’ll never throw down and say stuff they don’t want to hear. This doesn’t mean you need to be hot-headed at the table either, just resolute and direct. Lol at this simp acting like the mlbpa should be hiring deferential and respectable jellyfisgh.
As a former clubhouse manager I can say from first hand experience that Carlos Gomez is a grade A psychopath. This is an extremely confusing hire
Anything is an upgrade over Tony Clark. The stuff Mr. Clark has done since being the voice of the MLBPA, has hurt the players. Clark needs to retire and let some new blood take over. Gómez will at least tell the owners to go f*** themselves if they try to pull a fast one on the MLBPA. Clark didn’t have the backbone to do so and put MLBPA back 2 decades. We are almost seeing record deals every offseason.
If players are obtaining record-setting contracts every offseason, isn’t Clark doing his job then?
Over the last 3 years, records have been set. Previous 20 years, the MLBPA bent their knees in mercy to the owners. Much to Clark’s tenure as leading the MLBPA. 5 years ago, the Union was questioning Clark’s motives and that is when he started to get guys like Gerrit Cole, Clayton Kershaw in meetings. Cole was the most vocal and it got Clark’s attention. I think it was more of the players demanding a change than it was Clark himself doing the change.
I dont really see the issue. The Q.O. offer increases every offseason, MLB revenues increase YoY, the best pre-arb players are getting paid more, and there has been 13 different teams winning the WS in the past 20 seasons. At the end of the day, the owners write the checks. Clark can only work within the frameworks of the CBA. There has always been a MLBPA players committee overseeing an union head.
Piratesfan in what way has Clark failed or hurt the players specifically? I’m seeing a lot of generalized opinion from you but no concrete examples.
The Dodgers just signed 2 guys for a billion dollars and minor leaguers actually make a wage that compares to minimum wage for the first time ever and you’re saying he set the MLBPA back? Lmao
Clark has been leading the players union for 14 years and from 2014 to 2021 players salaries were declining. Clark benefited the owners in his first 10 years as union executive. So yes, he put the MLBPA behind 2 decades. Right now, players are playing catch up and have done well the last 3 years. Salaries are increasing and some records are being broken. It’s good for the players after a decade of declining pay and owners abusing players rights. Like players service time manipulation as key example. Why did it take so long for Clark to put his foot down? There was 2 CBA agreements within his time as union representative. Just recently did the last one had any benefits to the players. Just saying
I remember all of the hype he had and being the biggest piece of the Johan Santana trade. He ended putting together a handful of nice seasons but never lived up to the hype.
Guy definitely lived up to the hype. Can’t control injuries. Only had 3 seasons with more than 500 PA and received MVP votes in 2 of them
Man I want to sit in on negotiations now! Negotiations will be more exciting than some games…
Gomez was a major hot-head as a player. I wonder if he’s calmed down or if this is just par for the course for the MLBPA entrusting hot-headed former players as their representatives, like Max Scherzer’s involvement in the CBA.
First thing I thought of when I read the headline was “that hothead?”
Guy was a clubhouse cancer everywhere he went
Gomez started more bench-clearing incidents per game played than any player in MLB history. Well, probably not, but it sure seems like it. The guy couldn’t get through a road trip without being offended by someone on an opposing team.
And what basis do you have to say that max scherzer’s hot-headedness was detrimental to the cba? Is there a specific example that demonstrates that this was a bad decision or do you just not like max scherzer and other players with similar personalities and reputations?
For what possible reason would I need to “prove” to your giant e-penis that Max Scherzer was detrimental to negotiations?
Martras I know I’m hung like an e-moose and all, but how many times have I told you to stop peeping at my e-window? Don’t make me call the e-cops, perv!
Not going to help the MLBPA… need to replace Clark with someone that is talented and effective! Never a good negotiation when the MLBPA is over-matched by the MLB. Look at the history of MLBPA and when the best CBA were negotiated… it was when the sides were evenly matched.
Gomez was part of the Johan Santana trade with the Mets that sent him to the Twins. Bad trade
Only from a Twins fans perspective.
Mets got Santana for next to nothing
Bad trade for who?
I wonder what Freddie Freeman or Brian McCann think of this hire.
Or Gerritt Cole and Travis Snider if you’re a Pirates fan.
Snider would more upset if it was Martin Maldonado.
Never thought Gomez was the sharpest pencil in the box, but he sure had fun! Brian mccann can go kick rocks… who did he think he was? The baseball police? Its just baseball. Lighten up.
You must be new because there’s almost always an argument over petulant immature ball players getting offended
Namely bat flips, trotting slowly around the bases, or retaliating at the batter with a pitch high and in for simply taking too long to tighten their batting gloves
And Gomez was a known dbag. But I actually agree about McCann thinking he was the baseball police lmao
Yea a real class act. Manfred is ruining this game.
Lol ok. You don’t know how unions work do you? Rob Manfred has no say on who the mlbpa hires and elects.
I’m sure Brian McCann appreciates this
MLBPA hires my #2 hitter in MLB: The Show 10.
Carlos Gomez the big baby will fit right in with MLBPA.