By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman star Bryce Harper and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had a confrontation last week.
Harper and Manfred stood nose to nose in a meeting. According to reports, Harper walked into the middle of the room with a baseball bat, got in his face, and told him:
“If you’re going to talk about that, you can get the bleep out of here,” Harper said. The situation involves Manfred discussing the potential implementation of a salary cap. Manfred said some words in return, but the problem didn’t escalate further.
Manfred is no stranger to making changes and meeting with players and team owners.
The collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association expires on December 1, 2026. Baseball is the only major men’s North American sport without a salary cap. The union argues that the salary cap serves as a tool to increase team values, rather than closing the gap between high and low spending teams.
Fans don’t want a 1994 situation all over again. We don’t want to experience a strike because it takes away so much from the game of baseball. The sport is in a great place, and all parties involved need to get on the same page.
Baseball is a great sport, and losing games due to a lack of understanding and financial issues leaves fans with a bad taste in their mouths. Players are not afraid to lose a whole season because of the CBA.
The expiration date might be a year from now, but time flies. It’s an intense moment between the players and the commissioner, and Harper doing what he did might not be the last of clashes between players and the commissioner. It’s not looking good so far.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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