"It was made by MLB" - Insider suggests league responsible for unpopular changes amid jersey controversy

The MLB is under intense scrutiny during Spring Training due to the unpopular release of its new jerseys. At launch, the MLB was sharing videos on X of players giving glowing reviews of the product, but in short order, other players and fans have had their say and they have not held back.

From lettering and stitching to the material, fans were unhappy and frustration was visible online. As for the players, their frustration was audible in press conferences and interviews, and an unnamed Baltimore Orioles player suggested they resembled a "knockoff jersey from T.J. Maxx."

With attention on MLB uniforms at an all-time high, former player and analyst Eduardo Pérez explained the logic behind some of the jersey changes. Speaking on "Baseball Tonight," Perez suggested the league was responsible for a large number of unpopular modifications:

"[The batterman] was brought down. And because it was brought down the names have been brought down, and because the names have been brought down the brand also has been brought down of the team."

"And that's a decision that really wasn't made by Nike or the players or the teams. It was made by Major League Baseball."

Perez gave the reason for the changes, which was to maximize branding:

"And that's the part that we have to understand, look, you want to get that brand out there, you want to be able to showcase it, you want it a little bit bigger, these are the sacrifices that are having, that have to be made."

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and executives defend jerseys amid scrutiny

About two weeks ago, when it became evident the public reception to the new jerseys was overwhelmingly negative, league commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters and defended the product:

"In baseball, any new initiative, there's going to be some negative feedback. First and most important, these are Nike jerseys. So we entered this partnership with Nike because of who they are and the kinds of products that they use. Everything they've done for us so far has been absolutely, 100% successful across the board."

"The jerseys are different. They're designed to be performance wear as opposed to what has traditionally been worn. So they are going to be different, but they have been tested more extensively than any jersey in any sport."

Other MLB executives have also shared their thoughts, with Stephen Roche, a global consumer executive, defending the color schemes:

"That was all part of the tightening up of the entire process. Clubs were able to approve how everything matched Nike’s standard colors. For the first time, we had a uniform where all the colors matched exactly with the hats and the on-field colors. They had always been close, but they weren’t exact. Now they are."

Meanwhile, Philadephia Phillies superstar Trea Turner gave his thoughts on the matter to reporters succinctly:

"I know everyone hates them. We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there."

It will be interesting to see if there is any further feedback on the changes from the MLB or its players as they use the jerseys in Spring Training games.