NEW YORK -- Mets acting general manager Zack Scott refuted New York star Pete Alonso's charge that Major League Baseball has been manipulating baseballs to hurt potential free agents, saying changes to the ball would have "no influence on how players are valued or paid."
Asked on Wednesday about the simmering debate over pitchers' use of foreign substances, Alonso claimed MLB intentionally juiced baseballs before star pitchers like Gerrit Cole hit the open market, then deadened the ball this season with a talented group of hitters ready to become free agents.
"I didn't know Pete was a conspiracy theorist," Scott said with a laugh Friday before New York opened a series against San Diego.