‘Not All That Vital’ – MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Brushes Off Bryce Harper’s Outburst on Wage Cap Throughout Participant Assembly
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has been within the highlight not too long ago for his announcement concerning the 2027 All-Star Recreation and likewise for a heated change with Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper.
This incident happened throughout a participant assembly the place Manfred was speaking concerning the sport’s economics, a subject that continuously brings up the controversial thought of a wage cap.
Rob Manfred Faces Pushback on Wage Cap Proposals
The incident happened throughout one among Manfred’s routine visits to the clubhouse, the place he’s been assembly with gamers to debate baseball’s monetary issues. These talks are essential proper now, as the prevailing labor settlement between MLB and the gamers’ union is ready to run out after the 2026 season.
Harper’s direct response got here up throughout a Phillies presentation when the topic modified to economics, usually understood to trace at a wage cap. As a two-time MVP and a key determine within the sport, Harper mentioned, “Should you’re speaking a couple of wage cap, you may get the f*** out.”
Manfred, then again, didn’t appear bothered. Whereas speaking to the media at Wrigley Discipline, the place he had simply revealed that the Chicago Cubs will probably be internet hosting the 2027 All-Star Recreation, he shrugged off the entire incident.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred awards the 2027 All-Star Recreation to Wrigley Discipline and the Cubs!
The sport will probably be performed on July thirteenth, 2027. pic.twitter.com/XJCmIxshWV
— Marquee Sports activities Community (@WatchMarquee) August 1, 2025
“I don’t speak about these participant conferences,” he informed reporters, as quoted by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. “Let me say this. I feel extra has been made out of this than must be made out of it. Bryce expressed his views on the finish of the assembly. We shook arms and went our separate methods. Not all that vital.”
With the present collective bargaining settlement coming to an in depth in 2026, it’s no shock that questions on labor peace and the chance of a lockout are popping up. Reporters have been pushing Manfred for data on contingency plans, questioning if a prolonged dispute may derail the Midsummer Traditional.
“It’s pure that after we get to the tip of a collective bargaining settlement, (some) individuals have trepidation about what’s going to occur,” he mentioned. “I’m optimistic that we’ll discover a strategy to make a deal.”
That optimism is rooted in Manfred’s lengthy profession as a labor lawyer. He reminded the press of his observe file.
“I got here in home in 1998. We haven’t had a piece stoppage that affected a season since that point,” he said. “Three of these offers, I used to be the chief negotiator. Two of them, I used to be the commissioner. That’s a fairly good file. And, you already know, I feel we are able to do it once more.”
A wage cap may actually change how long-term, high-value contracts are dealt with, making negotiations trickier. Scott Boras, Harper’s agent and a notable advocate for participant rights, has been towards wage caps for fairly a while.
Talking to The Athletic, Boras famous that Harper has been “combating the results of caps his complete life,” referencing the 2012 draft cap that put a cap on signing bonuses for high picks as an early instance of how these restrictions affect gamers.
Scott Boras on why Bryce Harper feels strongly a couple of wage cap:
“Younger gamers want to speak with veterans like Harper,” Boras mentioned Monday. “Harper has been combating the results of caps his complete life.”https://t.co/Nx650omUns pic.twitter.com/F0S9UAElbk
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) July 28, 2025
The MLBPA shares this resistance. Director Tony Clark, in an interview with ESPN, labeled wage caps “institutionalized collusion.”
“We all the time have been and proceed to be prepared to speak about methods to enhance the business, and we do a number of issues with the league to do precisely that,” Clark mentioned. “You don’t want a wage cap to develop the business.”
The league is dealing with appreciable payroll inequalities, with large-market groups just like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers outspending smaller-market groups such because the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates by tens of tens of millions.
Labor consultants at the moment are considering {that a} lockout may actually occur if neither occasion offers in earlier than the December 2026 deadline. The final work stoppage in MLB started on Dec. 2, 2021, however they managed to play all regular-season video games after a delayed begin to spring coaching.
This time, nonetheless, many are involved {that a} more durable negotiating place, notably concerning the wage cap, may put the 2027 season and the All-Star Recreation at Wrigley in danger.
