MLB to change uniforms after months of complaints, per union memo: ‘This has been entirely a Nike issue’

MLB will make corrections to its uniforms after months of complaints, according to a memo distributed to players from the MLB Players Association.

Among the many changes, fixes will include players’ pants – which appeared see-through – as well as the size of letters on jerseys and mismatched tops and bottoms.

“We recognize that, for the players, this took too long and was completely avoidable,” the union’s memo said.

The changes will be implemented no later than the start of the 2025 season. News of the memo was first reported by ESPN.

The issues with the uniforms were first noticed and talked about during spring training, as Nike’s new Vapor Premier uniforms were widely criticized for their design and feel. MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said in February that pants were “a universal concern” of the union.

“This is entirely a Nike problem,” read Sunday’s memo. “Basically what happened here was that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”

The union’s memo also thanks Fanatics, the company responsible for manufacturing the uniform, for listening to player feedback.

“We hope that in the future, Nike will take a similar approach,” the memo said.

“As many of you know, concerns about changes at Nike are not new. We warned Nike about various changes during their presentation in 2022, especially regarding pants. MLB was and has been equally aware of our concerns. Unfortunately, until recently, Nike’s position was essentially “there’s nothing to see here, players will have to adapt.”

Nike, Fanatics and MLB declined to comment.

This story will be updated.

Required reading

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)