Philadelphia philis star Bryus harper Last week, during a meeting between the Major League Baseball Commissioner and the team, Rob Manfred stood by nose with the nose, said “take out of our club house” if Manfred wanted to talk about the possible implementation of a salary hat, sources told ESPN on Monday.
The conflict came to a meeting – one in 30 who held an annual attempt to improve their relationship with Manfred players – which lasted for more than an hour. Although Manfred never clearly said the word “salary cap”, sources said that discussion about the economics of the game raised Harper’s Ire in Harper’s most influential players and Harper’s Ire in the National League MVP of two times.
Next to the end of the collective-half agreement between MLB and MLB Players Association on 1 December 2026, many owners stumped a pay cap in baseball, the only prominent male North American game without one. MLBPA opposes a hat, which argues that more as a tool to increase the franchise values than reducing the large inequality of the game between high and low-prone teams.
Cool for the majority of the meeting, Harper, sitting on a chair and holding a bat, finally disappointed and said that if MLB had to propose a hat and catch the firm for it, the players “are not afraid to lose 162 games,” The sources of the meeting told ESPN. Harper stood up, walked in the middle of the room, faced Manfred and said: “If you want to speak about that, you can get F — out of our club house.”
Manfred, sources said, replied that he “f — was not going out from here,” saying that MLB’s business was important to talk about dangers and ways to enhance the game.
Experienced outfielder before the situation becomes further intensified Nick castelanos Tried to reduce stress, saying: “I have more questions.” The meeting continued, and Harper and Manfred eventually shook hands, sources said, although Harper refused to respond to the phone call from Manfred the next day.
“It was very intense, certainly emotional,” Castlanos told ESPN. “Both M. Commissioner gave it back to Bryas and Bryas and gave it back to the commissioner. It is Veena. He has been doing this since he was 15 years old. It’s just another day. I was not surprised.”
Philadelphia speaking before 6-2 Chicago white sox On Monday, Harper did not dispute the details of his confrontation with Manfred.
Harper said, “I will not take the details of what happened or how I felt or nothing else,” Harper said. “I don’t think it’s good for anyone to happen. So, for me, I just know, trying to worry about baseball, trying to worry about everything here.”
Manfred refused to comment through the league spokesperson.
Although he has not become vocal on labor issues in previous years, 32 -year -old Harper, who is represented by Agent Scott Boras, expressed the Sangh’s view on the possibility of a capped system. Earlier this month in the all-star game in Atlanta, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clarke called the salary cap “institutionally collusion”, “ And in a February 1 interview with ESPN, he said: “We have always been and are willing to talk about ways to improve the industry, and we do a lot of things with the league.
A salary cap was asked for his argument against the cap and why this is such an important issue for the players, Harper replied: “I don’t want to get into the details right now.” He also said that he planned to be vocal about labor issues behind closed doors.
“I have talked to labor and I have done it in such a way that I don’t need to talk to the media about it,” he said. “I don’t need it. It has nothing to do with the media or anyone else. This is what we can do as players and owners and all other people can come together to try to make this game great.”
Meeting with Phillies – There were some previous details Reported by Bandwagan – Covered a variety of subjects, the sources said, but CBA talks, and their possible results, large scale. Potential work halt in the 2027 season has hopped in the game since 2022, when the parties agreed for the five-year labor deal, which ended the 99-day lockout by the owners.
“Rob seems to be in a very desperate place how important it is to get this salary cap as it is floating the word ‘lockout’ two years before our collective bargain agreement. [expiration]”Castellanos said.” It is nothing to throw around. This is the same thing as I am telling me in a wedding, ‘I think divorce is a possibility. This is probably going to happen. ‘You don’t just say those things. ,
Although Manfred has not committed to pursue the salary cap, many owners have criticized the current economic system of MLB and directly given a cap as a panacea (BaltimoreDavid Rubanstein) or indirectly (BostanJohn Henry, PittsburghBob Newtting and New York Yankis‘Hell Steinbrener). The players are carried forward in relation to the manfred of the lockout as a tool in the talks.
“It was very intense, certainly emotional. Both M. [Harper] And Bryas is giving it back to the commissioner. He is Veena. He has been doing so since he was 15 years old. This is just another day. I was not surprised. ,
Phillies outfielder nick castelanos
Manfred started regular meetings with teams after 2022 talks, he said that “One of the things I am going to do is to promote a good relationship with our players. I have tried to do so. I have not succeeded in it.”
Despite the efforts, there is a mistrust in Manfred among the players – especially when discussing economic issues.
MLB’s desire for a pay cap is behind decades. The players’ strike in 1994 canceled the world series, in direct reaction to the league’s efforts to get into a capped system. In the 1990s, some similar talkings used by MLB – especially about the lack of profitability of teams amidst an environment, which has seen a huge increase in franchise value and revenue – has been reunited in recent years.
“Behind our head, we are liked, ‘Why are you talking to us like a baseball team owner, owner of a nail salon?” Castelanos said. “That you are going to become only a functional business if you can make the money you can invest in this year?”
Players from several teams told ESPN that they have used meetings with Manfred to suppress it by some teams on the lack of payroll expenses. When going this season, the difference between the luxury tax payole of the highest spending team ( Los angeles doors More than $ 400 million) and the lowest cost ( Miami marlins Under only 86 million dollars) raised an IRE among fans and made the salary cap a larger part of the rhetoric around the game compared to previous years.
Public discussion has greatly reduced the players’ opinion on a cap to change the opinion. The advantage of the meeting with Manfred, Castelanos said, “Better the league view on a business that earned more than $ 12 billion in revenue last year.” For local television rights and gambling and development of gambling and other subsidiary businesses by 2028 with the league, Castelanos believes that education is important to ensure a well -informed player population.
“We really don’t know so much about it,” Castelanos said. “It’s not that someone is teaching us about this group of Major League baseball that we do, player, makeup, make it possible. There is no player, no Major League is baseball. I don’t believe that Rob Manfred is evil. I don’t believe the owners are evil. I don’t believe.
“Anyone wants to stop a work in baseball. Not the players, not the league.”
Information of Associated Press was used in this report.
