MLB commissioner Rob Manfred would like everyone to stop making a big deal about his reported confrontation with Bryce Harper.
Speaking with reporters on Friday after announcing Wrigley Field will host the 2027 MLB All-Star Game, Manfred downplayed a meeting in which the Philadelphia Phillies star reportedly told him he could “get the f*** out of our clubhouse” in response to a mention of the game’s economics.
When asked about the exchange, Manfred said the reaction was overblown:
“I don’t talk about those player meetings — let me say this. I think more has been made out of this than needs to be made out of it. Bryce expressed his views, at the end of the meeting, we shook hands and went our separate ways. Just not all that significant.
“It was an individual picking a particular way to express himself and I don’t think you need to make more out of it than that.
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Harper was similarly hesitant to discuss the incident after it was reported, but did confirm it took place and added, “I’ve always been very vocal [in labor discussions], just not in a way that people can see.”
The incident occurred amid mounting tension over upcoming collective bargaining agreement, which expires after the 2026 season. It is expected the league will insist on the introduction of a salary cap, which the MLB Players Association has always treated as a non-starter.
If both sides hold their ground, the result would likely be a work stoppage that could affect the 2027 season. Manfred reportedly mentioned the word “lockout” in the meeting with the Phillies, and it’s never a good sign when the commissioner is planting that seed more than a year in advance.
Asked about a contingency plan for a work stoppage on Friday, Manfred again downplayed the possibility:
“My contingency plan is to make an agreement with the players and play the ’27 season.”
Few other stakeholders are as optimistic. In March, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said the union believes a lockout is coming. This week, Phillies star Nick Castellanos used an interesting analogy for Manfred’s mention of a lockout, via ESPN:
“That’s nothing to throw around. That’s the same thing as me saying in a marriage, ‘I think divorce is a possibility. It’s probably going to happen.’ You don’t just say those things.”
It’s been a contentious decade already for the league and union, which got in protracted disputes in both 2020 and the 2021-22 offseason. The latter resulted in both a delayed start to the 2022 season (but no lost games) and the current deal set to expire after 2026.
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