NEW YORK (AP) — Mets acting general manager Zack Scott refuted a charge by New York star Pete Alonso 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 this week about the simmering debate over pitchers’ use of foreign substances, Alonso uncorked a major allegation. He claimed MLB had intentionally juiced the baseball before star pitchers hit the open market, then deadened the ball this season with a talented group of hitters ready to become free agents. Scott doesn’t think the theory holds up. environments.
