Rob Manfred took the nothing-to-see-here method when addressing being cursed out by Bryce Harper throughout a latest go to to the Phillies’ clubhouse.
The MLB commissioner spoke with reporters Friday after asserting the 2027 All-Star Recreation is headed to Wrigley Subject and mentioned the heated verbal confrontation with Harper final week, first reported by The Publish’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman.
“You know, I don’t talk about those player meetings,” Manfred mentioned in Chicago. “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. Not all that significant.”
Harper instructed Manfred to depart the Phillies clubhouse if he was there to debate the potential of a wage cap within the subsequent collective bargaining settlement (CBA), with ESPN reporting the primary baseman instructed the commissioner he ought to “get the f–k out” if that was the case.
The go to was a part of Manfred’s annual tour of MLB groups and he was solely about 5 minutes into seeing the Phillies when Harper strongly interjected himself.
A wage cap has lengthy been a contentious problem, with MLB being the one main sport with out some type of one, and seems to be so once more with the league’s CBA set to run out after subsequent season.
The Phillies are amongst MLB’s highest spending groups, fourth within the league at $289 million, solely trailing the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees.
However there are additionally groups just like the Marlins, who’ve a payroll of simply $66 million.
MLB has but to publicly state what it needs on the bargaining desk.
However The Publish reported the commissioner’s workplace would really like some type of a wage cap and there’s the expectation of a lockout that would jeopardize a big portion of the 2027 season.
Till then, Harper might be principally centered on preserving the Phillies on high of the NL East as they battle with the Mets in his try to win his first World Collection.
Philadelphia enters Saturday a half-game forward of the Mets after the latter misplaced their fourth straight sport Friday night time, this one a 4-3 dwelling setback in 10 innings to the Giants.
