“Sure, yeah,” Fedde stated, laughing a bit as he remembers the 99-day lockout over the winter earlier than homeowners and the MLB Players Association agreed to a brand new CBA on March 10. “I mean, it was really interesting to be part of something so big and important this winter. I feel like I’ll be talking about that for a long time.”
Before July 30, 2021, when the Nationals traded almost a 3rd of their roster for prospects, they have been an older workforce with a historical past of union involvement. And going again even additional, on the finish of the 2020 season, that they had Scherzer, Turner and reliever Sean Doolittle as their rep and alternate reps, respectively. Labor discussions have been frequent within the clubhouse and during batting apply. Scherzer, for one, was identified for educating youthful teammates in regards to the looming battle with homeowners. Fedde was content material to take a seat again and hear.
But as soon as Scherzer and Turner have been traded, Fedde stepped in, nervous and combating impostor’s syndrome. Many teammates, although, appreciated Fedde’s perspective as a pre-arbitration player. He has but to make something however a team-assigned wage. In spring of 2021, he received a grievance to lose a fourth choice yr, making it so the Nationals may now not swing him between the majors and minors with out placing him on waivers.
His expertise higher mirrored what a handful of the Nationals are going by. In some methods, Fedde, 29, personified what a lot of this winter’s labor combat was about.
“A lot of it was focused on getting young players paid quicker, right? Or making the pre-arbitration experience slightly more lucrative with increased minimum salaries,” stated reliever Kyle Finnegan, who continues to be a full season of main league service time away from being arbitration-eligible. “It was nice to know our guy was someone who’s in a similar boat as me. I don’t think everyone in my shoes across the league could say that, which of course is okay, too. But Erick has earned a ton of trust in here.”
“When teams choose a player rep, a lot of times they look for someone who has come up through the organization and has a chance to be there for a few years,” defined Doolittle, who was as soon as a rep for the Oakland Athletics. “We need guys who are from up and down the ladder, so to speak, so there’s a comprehensive range of perspectives in pretty critical conversations.”
Fedde was the Nationals’ first-round pick in 2014. On the eve of Opening Day, he looked around the clubhouse, laughed and told a teammate: “I’ve maybe had every locker in here.” For a team that has entered a rebuild after winning a World Series less than three years ago, Fedde is an unlikely constant, still trying to stick in the rotation. He impressed in his first start of the year, logging five solid innings against the New York Mets. His next one will be against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday.
Back in March, when no one knew when — or if — the regular season would start, Fedde joined a video call with just about everyone on Washington’s 40-man roster. The owners, who implemented the lockout Dec. 2, had made an offer the union was strongly considering. To strike a deal, there needed to be a simple majority of 20 votes between the 30 team reps and eight-player executive subcommittee. The subcommittee, composed of proven veterans — including Scherzer, one of Fedde’s mentors — was unanimously against the offer. Reps from the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals voted no, too.
Some teams tallied a vote from each player to determine their rep’s response. But according to multiple people with knowledge of the Nationals’ process, teammates told Fedde they were comfortable with him voting based on their discussions. For months, he sat on long calls with the union reps, then gathered his teammates to debrief them. Now the final say was up to him.
“I was sick to my stomach, honestly, just realizing what the vote meant and what it entailed,” Fedde stated. “But it’s really cool to say I was a part of it and represented my team to the best of my ability. I think I did that.”
And how did he really feel in regards to the general consequence?
“Both sides have their agenda, so you’re not going to get everything you want,” Fedde answered. “To steal some baseball terms, it wasn’t going to be a home run, necessarily, or a grand slam. But if we keep hitting singles, we’ll get there. I liked how we put in some anti-tanking stuff and raised the minimum salary. That felt like progress.”