After nearly two decades in the majors, Mike Trout has grown used to the grind, daily games, coast-to-coast travel, and pressure that never lets up. But even he has his breaking points. So when he slumped into his locker after a late Thursday game in Anaheim, knowing a cross-country flight to Minnesota awaited, the frustration bubbled up. Not because of a loss or a slump, but because of the schedule. Specifically, a 6:29 p.m “getaway game” that pushed his team to the very edge of what’s allowed.

It wasn’t just a late night, it was a logistical nightmare. Less than 24 hours later, the Angels were expected to be suited up and ready for a 6:40 p.m. game in Minneapolis, all thanks to a last-minute shift to accommodate an NBA playoff crowd. This wasn’t just poor planning. It was a perfect storm of fatigue, unfair scheduling, and a rulebook that seems to care more about time zones than player recovery.

“It’s not ideal, that’s for sure,” Mike Trout said out of frustration. “I don’t know when we’re supposed to land, but it’s going to be early. And we’ve got to play that night. And the worst part about it is, the next day is a day game.”

That’s the heart of it. MLB, a league that markets stars like Mike Trout as its crown jewels, keeps tossing those same players into exhausting, avoidable travel crunches. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) tries to set parameters, such as banning games that start later than 7 p.m. on travel days, but it leaves just enough wiggle room to allow situations like Thursday’s. Because the flight from Anaheim to Minneapolis is technically 3 hours and 1 minute, MLB shaved exactly 31 minutes off the standard 7 p.m. start time. That’s how we got to 6:29.

Legal? Sure. Logical? Not remotely. And Trout isn’t the only one saying it out loud. Angels reliever Kenley Jansen flat-out called the setup “definitely not fair,” while outfielder Taylor Ward added, “I don’t think it should be allowed.” 

So what gives? Why is baseball, a game that’s often accused of being stuck in the past, still treating cross-country travel like an afterthought? Sure, players fly charter and have all the amenities. But time zones still take a toll. Fatigue doesn’t vanish with first-class seats.

Here’s the thing: it’s not about pampering players, it’s about protecting performance. Expecting elite athletes to play back-to-back games with zero recovery isn’t just unreasonable, it’s shortsighted.

Where’s the union? A call for the MLBPA to step up

For all the noise made during collective bargaining talks, the silence now feels deafening. Players are crisscrossing the country on red-eye flights, landing just hours before first pitch, and yet, there’s little public pushback from the one group designed to protect them. Where’s the MLBPA when Mike Trout, one of the sport’s most respected voices, is openly frustrated about the grind? If Trout is speaking out, you know it’s not just a one-off inconvenience—it’s a systemic issue.

You’d think the union would be the first to bang the drum on unfair scheduling, especially when it’s affecting performance, health, and mental clarity. Instead, players are left to post cryptic Instagram stories about 3 a.m. arrivals or answer awkward postgame questions while running on fumes. The MLBPA has leverage, a platform, and the collective voice of every tired player in the league—so why aren’t they using it louder and more often?

In the end, the league talks constantly about wanting to showcase its stars. Maybe it should start by letting them sleep.