LOS ANGELES – Tyler Matzek had the perfect analogy for the MLB uniforms situation and how many players feel their side was not properly represented when making changes to the jerseys.
“It would be equivalent to a business man having to wear a tailored suit every single day, but he doesn’t get to pick the suit he wants to wear, gets to wear,” the Braves reliever said. “He doesn’t even get to pick the sizing. They just throw it on and say, ‘Hey, you look like this,’ and they give it to you. Having to wear that every single day would be uncomfortable. All that guy’s doing is walking around, going to business meetings. Trying to do something athletic and movement-based would be even more difficult in that situation.”
On Friday, though, MLB and Nike announced good news for the players who had gripes: Adjustments will be made to the uniforms following conversations with players, clubs and their equipment managers.
“Player and club feedback is extremely important to us,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Together with Nike, we listened to our players and as a result, we are addressing their concerns.”
MLB and Nike said that for the 2025 season, the MLB uniforms, which are designed by Nike, will have larger lettering on the back. Players will be given an opportunity for individual pant customization.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Nike, the release said, is also working on a solution to address the color differences between the jerseys and pants of some teams’ gray road uniforms. Another thing the company is tackling: The discoloration due to sweat, in some cases. Those adjusted gray uniforms could be given to teams as soon as the second half of this season.
Matzek showed the inside of the new jersey. It contains what he calls “loops” – they look like perforated circles – to make it more breathable.
“The problem I got from that was the loop only works when it’s against the skin, so if you wear an undershirt, it defeats the purpose,” Matzek said. “So therefore, it starts holding the water even more, not less. So I think that was something they didn’t intend to happen, and it kind of just happened.
“The other problem players were having was with the pants sizing. They had to have tailored pants, which has just been more work for the clubhouse guys.”
Matzek said there weren’t enough pants sizes to suit all players.
“Because you’ve got guys with huge legs, guys with skinny legs, and anything and everything in between,” Matzek said. “(If Spencer) Strider and (Jesse) Chavez are wearing the same diameter pants (size), it’s gonna look a little different, right?”
And about the lettering on the back?
‘The jersey material is a little heavier than the previous material, so I think the reason for the smaller size of the letters was to actually drop the overall weight of the jersey,” Matzek said. “As a player, I think the look of it matters more than the couple extra grand here and there. But that’s kind of what we were told a little bit. Whether that’s what it is or not, I’m not sure.”
Not everyone noticed these details. Sean Murphy said he didn’t have an issue with the uniforms.
“It’s nice that they listened to the complaints and took them seriously,” Murphy said, though he offered no gripes of his own.
The Braves’ uniforms underwent a couple other changes. Nike dropped the piping on the sleeve, so it’s at the very bottom of the sleeve. The blue on the road alternate uniforms is different than on the previous version of the jersey. The release didn’t mention whether team-specific changes like these would be addressed.
But adjustments are coming.
These problems won’t persist forever.
“I think the players just wanted to have kind of some representation in what we view as an important thing to a jersey,” Matzek said. “I think Nike is listening now, and I feel like they’re gonna make the adjustments, so the players will be seeing that.”
