{"id":466288,"date":"2026-02-10T17:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/466288\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T17:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:51:10","slug":"how-much-free-food-can-a-player-consume-under-the-cba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/466288\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Free Food Can a Player Consume Under the CBA?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

A lot of people think this job is about immersing oneself in the glorious, vibrant culture of baseball. Feeling the sun on your face, schmoozing with athletes, learning the finest intricacies of a children\u2019s game. And it is, to some extent. Some people think this job is about the craft of writing, and ingesting and disseminating knowledge. It is, to some extent. Some people think this job \u2014at least how we do it here at FanGraphs \u2014 is about math, the unforgiving exactitude of numbers. And again, it is, but only to an extent.<\/p>\n

The more time I spend doing this job, the more I\u2019ve come to believe it\u2019s about the rules. Sometimes literally \u2014 once a week I answer a question for our Members Only mailbag<\/a>, and it usually has something to do with \u201cWhy hasn\u2019t anyone thought to do X?\u201d The answer, more often than not: Because they\u2019re not allowed. <\/p>\n

So I\u2019ve found myself spending lots of time with two documents: The major league rulebook and the collective bargaining agreement. The latter document is of interest to most fans because of the ways in which it governs transactions. This is where the minimum salary is established, along with the competitive balance tax and rules about arbitration \u2014 the minutiae of which made headline news just last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those are the headline details \u2014 the big-money sections, literally \u2014 that will likely capture the public\u2019s imagination over the next several months. But the CBA is first and foremost a covenant between labor and capital to govern workplace conditions, and it is herein that you\u2019ll find all manner of fascinating tidbits that fans would never notice or care about, but are important to the everyday lives of the players.<\/p>\n

For example: Article XV, Section B requires clubs to furnish free parking to the players at the ballpark. In that same article, Section F(2)(a) requires each club to provide classes in English and Spanish as a second language, if one or more players ask for them. Players are allowed to use tobacco products on the field, but not during televised interviews, or in ballparks where tobacco use is banned by local ordinance, and only if the player in question made his major league debut in 2016 or earlier. Why? Because Attachment 28 says so.<\/p>\n

I never would\u2019ve noticed the effects of Attachment 28 if I hadn\u2019t spent a lot of time when I was younger watching baseball with people who dipped, and would always point out when a player had a can of tobacco in his back pocket. (Which is now prohibited regardless of debut date.)<\/p>\n

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But these are the little things that shape a major league ballplayer\u2019s life, or the league\u2019s relationship with the viewing public, and they get argued and horse-traded across the bargaining table, whether the fans notice their effects or not.<\/p>\n

Which brings me to the issue of the day: Attachment 47. I first came across this attachment to the CBA in 2024 when I was writing about the Athletics\u2019 imminent move to Sacramento<\/a> and trying to find out exactly what was required in a major league clubhouse. <\/p>\n

The list includes a recovery room; a dietician; a full-time chef for home games; bathrooms that get cleaned and disinfected every day, with soap, shampoo, shaving products, toiletries, towels, and washcloths; and \u201ca safe or lockbox for valuables.\u201d That\u2019s an extensive list, but a reasonable one. It\u2019s what you\u2019d expect from a professional locker room in terms of comfort and hygiene. <\/p>\n

But I want to focus on section 3(b), which concerns how many meals are provided in the clubhouse each day. Here\u2019s the section in question:<\/p>\n

(b) Meals
(i) On days when Clubs are scheduled to play games beginning at 1 P.M. and 7 P.M., Clubs shall be required to provide three meals for Players (i.e., lunch or breakfast, pregame, and postgame).
(ii) On days when Clubs are scheduled to play games beginning at 4 P.M., Clubs shall be required to provide three meals for Players; provided, however, that a fourth meal (i.e., breakfast, lunch, pregame, and postgame) shall be provided in the event a request is submitted at least seven (7) days in advance by a Club\u2019s Player Advisory Council.<\/p>\n

First of all, this section illustrates why, if someone tells you ballplayers only work two and a half hours a day, 162 days a year, you should hit them in the face with your shoe. Ballplayers usually report to the park at least three or four hours early, and spend that time working out or taking in scouting reports or meeting with coaches. Sometimes more. If a game is at 1 p.m., it\u2019s not unreasonable to think that a player might be at work long enough to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. <\/p>\n

I had to ask around a little on background about Attachment 47, and the question of how many meals a player\u2019s entitled to turned out to be confusing more than anything else. The idea that any team would limit its players to the bare minimum they\u2019re entitled to eat under the CBA seems to be unthinkable.<\/p>\n

In practice, when there are players present in the clubhouse, the kitchen is open. Nobody\u2019s scanning a meal card like in a college dining hall, and nobody\u2019s going to get in a player\u2019s business about taking an extra helping of potato salad from the buffet line. Nobody wants to be known as the club that nickel-and-dimes its players over food, even if the combination of hungry young men and unlimited free food leads to the occasional cheesesteak-eating contest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s as it should be, and I\u2019m encouraged that even as tensions and temperatures rise in the final year of the CBA, players can eat their fill no matter the start time. It\u2019s a sign of a healthy workplace.<\/p>\n

But unlike professional ballplayers, I\u2019m constitutionally unable to be blas\u00e9 about free meals. I grew up with two brothers, and spent my 20s as a graduate student and freelance writer; food that\u2019s here today is gone later today, and may not be available tomorrow. To this day, I buy ramen in bulk on the internet, and live by the Iron Law of Euclidean Pizza Geometry: Ordering the largest pizza available will give you the most value for your money.<\/p>\n

All of this is to say that if I were entitled to three square meals a day under the CBA, I\u2019d make sure to get my money\u2019s worth. More importantly, if my union negotiated Fourthmeal for me in the case of a 4 p.m. start time, then I\u2019d be a fool not to take advantage. Marvin Miller would turn over in his grave if he knew you were passing up an extra helping of chicken parm on the bossman\u2019s dime. Eat up, kid, there are hungry players in the Pecos League.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s assume, then, a cruel and harsh counterfactual in which MLB clubs provided only the bare minimum of food required by the CBA. Would each team be entitled to the same number of meals?<\/p>\n

Of course not.<\/p>\n

The MLB schedule as currently constituted is not set in stone. We\u2019re going to have dozens and dozens of games rescheduled due to weather, or flexed to a new time slot for TV, or shifted up a few hours to relieve traffic on the day of a World Cup game. But as it stands now, we have 2,430 games on the books, each with a start time at least written in pencil.<\/p>\n

Attachment 47 offers feeding instructions for three start times: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. Out of those 2,430 games, would you like to know how many start at exactly 1 p.m., 4 p.m., or 7 p.m. local time? <\/p>\n

Three. On July 5, Reds-Orioles and Pirates-Nats are scheduled for 1 p.m.; the Mets and Dodgers are slated for a 7 p.m. first pitch on April 15, presumably for Jackie Robinson Day-related reasons. So clearly there would be some allowance for the traditional staggered start time. How much, exactly, I had to guess. The free provision of food at all hours in major league clubhouses has rendered that question moot in the real world.<\/p>\n

I decided to go about an hour in each direction \u2014 an hour and 10 minutes into the future, actually, to account for 5:05 start times that are, for all practical purposes, 5 p.m. games. Under these criteria, games fall into one of three buckets: breakfast games, which start before 3 p.m. local time; Fourthmeal games, which start between 3 p.m. and 5:10 p.m.; and dinner games, which start after 5:10 p.m.<\/p>\n

Eatin\u2019 Big Time in the Clubhouse, Ain\u2019t It Lovely? Ain\u2019t It Great?<\/p>\n

American League
\nNational League<\/p>\n

TOR
\n44
\n25
\n93
\nMIA
\n44
\n22
\n96<\/p>\n

BOS
\n35
\n24
\n103
\nWSN
\n47
\n22
\n93<\/p>\n

TBR
\n47
\n17
\n98
\nNYM
\n42
\n20
\n100<\/p>\n

BAL
\n43
\n15
\n104
\nSDP
\n44
\n16
\n102<\/p>\n

TEX
\n40
\n13
\n109
\nATL
\n34
\n15
\n113<\/p>\n

CLE
\n48
\n10
\n104
\nPIT
\n53
\n14
\n95<\/p>\n

MIN
\n57
\n10
\n95
\nARI
\n48
\n12
\n102<\/p>\n

SEA
\n48
\n10
\n104
\nCIN
\n50
\n12
\n100<\/p>\n

CHW
\n54
\n9
\n99
\nPHI
\n40
\n12
\n110<\/p>\n

KCR
\n45
\n9
\n108
\nMIL
\n46
\n11
\n105<\/p>\n

HOU
\n41
\n8
\n113
\nSFG
\n56
\n10
\n96<\/p>\n

NYY
\n47
\n8
\n107
\nLAD
\n31
\n9
\n122<\/p>\n

DET
\n57
\n7
\n98
\nCHC
\n59
\n6
\n97<\/p>\n

LAA
\n40
\n7
\n115
\nSTL
\n55
\n6
\n101<\/p>\n

ATH
\n45
\n6
\n111
\nCOL
\n51
\n4
\n107<\/p>\n

The practical implications of this scheduling discrepancy are limited. By my math, the Blue Jays are entitled to 21 more meals this year than the Rockies (and the National League to 13 more overall than the AL), but in practice they\u2019ll eat the same amount. <\/p>\n

But there are 14 teams with home cities in the Eastern time zone; they comprise 11 of the top 13 teams in these late-afternoon starts. Presumably they\u2019d have more afternoon home games against teams from out west, to accommodate a TV audience in another time zone. <\/p>\n

And after having compiled this list of every game on the 2026 schedule, I\u2019m able to show disparities in travel \u2014 at least by time zone \u2014 as well.<\/p>\n

2026 Games by Time Zone<\/p>\n

Team
\nEastern
\nCentral
\nMountain
\nPacific
\nIn Time Zone
\nOutside Time Zone<\/p>\n

COL
\n31
\n18
\n81
\n32
\n81
\n81<\/p>\n

SEA
\n31
\n29
\n3
\n99
\n99
\n63<\/p>\n

HOU
\n34
\n100
\n3
\n25
\n100
\n62<\/p>\n

KCR
\n45
\n102
\n3
\n12
\n102
\n60<\/p>\n

TEX
\n31
\n102
\n3
\n26
\n102
\n60<\/p>\n

ARI
\n33
\n21
\n6
\n102
\n102
\n60<\/p>\n

CHC
\n41
\n103
\n3
\n15
\n103
\n59<\/p>\n

MIL
\n37
\n103
\n3
\n19
\n103
\n59<\/p>\n

STL
\n37
\n103
\n3
\n19
\n103
\n59<\/p>\n

LAA
\n34
\n25
\n0
\n103
\n103
\n59<\/p>\n

ATH
\n33
\n25
\n0
\n104
\n104
\n58<\/p>\n

SDP
\n34
\n17
\n7
\n104
\n104
\n58<\/p>\n

MIN
\n37
\n106
\n0
\n19
\n106
\n56<\/p>\n

LAD
\n31
\n18
\n7
\n106
\n106
\n56<\/p>\n

SFG
\n33
\n16
\n6
\n107
\n107
\n55<\/p>\n

CHW
\n34
\n110
\n0
\n18
\n110
\n52<\/p>\n

CLE
\n115
\n31
\n3
\n13
\n115
\n47<\/p>\n

CIN
\n115
\n29
\n3
\n15
\n115
\n47<\/p>\n

DET
\n115
\n29
\n0
\n18
\n115
\n47<\/p>\n

PIT
\n116
\n28
\n3
\n15
\n116
\n46<\/p>\n

TOR
\n122
\n22
\n0
\n18
\n122
\n40<\/p>\n

NYY
\n122
\n22
\n0
\n18
\n122
\n40<\/p>\n

ATL
\n123
\n17
\n3
\n19
\n123
\n39<\/p>\n

TBR
\n125
\n22
\n3
\n12
\n125
\n37<\/p>\n

MIA
\n125
\n18
\n4
\n15
\n125
\n37<\/p>\n

PHI
\n125
\n16
\n3
\n18
\n125
\n37<\/p>\n

NYM
\n125
\n15
\n3
\n19
\n125
\n37<\/p>\n

BOS
\n128
\n18
\n3
\n13
\n128
\n34<\/p>\n

BAL
\n129
\n18
\n3
\n12
\n129
\n33<\/p>\n

WSN
\n129
\n15
\n3
\n15
\n129
\n33<\/p>\n

Red: Eastern
Blue: Central
Purple: Mountain
Green: Pacific (including Arizona)<\/p>\n

Not only are the Marlins and Nationals getting more Fourthmeal games than anyone else in the NL, they\u2019re also among the teams that have to travel outside their own time zone the least. The Nationals and Orioles will play a league-high 129 games in their own time zone, followed by the Red Sox at 128. Contrast that to the Rockies, who are the only team in their time zone and will therefore have to adjust their watches for all 81 road games. The Mariners (99 games in Pacific time) are the only other team with fewer than 100 games in their own time zone.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of travel. Good thing food is so freely available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports A lot of people think this job is about immersing oneself in the glorious,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82],"class_list":["post-466288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}