With spring training well underway, discontent is already brewing in the clubhouse. But players aren’t upset about their teams’ start to the preseason; they’re upset about the league’s new jerseys.
MLB has rolled out a new on-field uniform for the 2024 season: the Nike Vapor Premier, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics.
The league and Nike claim that the new jerseys are more breathable, lighter-weight and better for on-field performance. But fans have spent the past few days criticizing the new looks, putting both Nike and Fanatics under fire.
Now, players are chiming in too, complaining that the jerseys are ill-fitting and look like they’re made of cheaper fabric.
MLB tested the new jerseys at the All-Star game in July and said that players have given them rave reviews. A statement released by MLB Tuesday featured positive reviews from St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (“It’s almost like wearing my favorite shirt out on the field”), Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (“The jerseys this season are much more breathable”) and Atlanta Braves outfielder and reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. (“Feeling free in the jersey is the best feeling in the world”).
MLB also posted a video on social media of more players praising the jerseys during All-Star weekend, prompting Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout to add his own approval.
“Change can be good and I’m a big fan of these!” Trout wrote on X (formerly Twitter). (Trout has a long-term, multi-million dollar deal with Nike and is an ambassador for the brand.)
But outlets reporting from Spring Training say that players are mostly dissatisfied with the new look.
“I don’t like them,” St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday. “Everyone should write about it.”
The Cardinals have emerged as early naysayers of the new uniforms, with one player telling Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat that “they look cheap.”
In recent days, however, other players have also expressed their discontent with the uniforms. In an interview with The Athletic, Angels outfield Taylor Ward gave the new jerseys a “thumbs down.”
“It looks like a replica,” Ward told The Athletic. “It feels kind of like papery. … From the looks of it, it doesn’t look like a $450 jersey.”
In Tuesday’s statement, MLB and Nike announced that it would sell three retail versions of the jerseys: Nike Vapor Premier Elite jersey (“authentic jersey, as worn by players on-field), Game jersey (a replica jersey) and Limited jersey (“inspired by the on-field jersey”). The Nike Vapor Premier Limited Jerseys, presumably the lowest of the three tiers, are the only ones currently available to purchase, retailing for a whopping $174.99.
The differences between the old and new jerseys go beyond the lighter-weight material: According to Paul Lukas of Uni Watch, the jersey placket — where the buttons are — is much narrower on the new shirts, which creates an awkward break along the teams’ names in script. Also, all of the white jerseys are now subtly off-white, which makes some team colors look slightly off-color as well.
Besides the material, chief complaints from players include the fit of the pants, the lack of team-specific details and the fact that the players’ names are inexplicably smaller on the new jerseys.
Pitchers in particular have complained about the pants, which used to be tailored to the player prior to last year. As part of simplifying the fitting process, tailoring is no longer an option with the new Nike jerseys.
“When I wear my pants, I feel like I’m wearing someone else’s pants,” Angel reliever Carlos Estévez told The Athletic.
In terms of team specifics, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, who has a deal with Nike, told The Athletic that he reached out to his Nike contacts to address an issue with the specific shade of blue on the Cubs’ jerseys.
“Cubbie is its own blue, right?” Swanson said. “This blue on the uniform is a little bit different than Cubbie blue. So how can we just recapture that?”
Other players are reaching out to the MLB Players Association with concerns about the jerseys, according to The Athletic.
But some players think that the complaints will die down once they get used to the change.
Cincinnati Reds catcher Luke Maile told The Athletic that changing jerseys is like changing toilet paper. “You notice it at first,” he said, “but after a while, it’s just your toilet paper.”