CHICAGO (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper had a spirited exchange during a question-and-answer session between the commissioner and the team, according to a person with direct knowledge of the conversation.
The person spoke to the AP on Monday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos previously confirmed some details from the meeting in interviews with The Bandwagon and ESPN.
Speaking before Philadelphia's game at the Chicago White Sox, Harper did not dispute the published descriptions of his confrontation with Manfred.
“I won’t be getting into the details of what happened or how I felt or anything else like that,” Harper said. “I don’t think it does any good for anybody for that to happen. So, for me, I just, you know, trying to worry about baseball, trying to worry about everything in here.”
Manfred met with the Phillies and Red Sox during their series last week in Philadelphia. The session with the Phillies lasted more than an hour.
Manfred spoke with the NL team about the media landscape and working together to grow the sport, according to the person with knowledge of the conversation. At some point, Harper told Manfred if he was there to talk about a salary cap, he could “get the (expletive) out” of the clubhouse.
Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, 2026, and some players are concerned about a possible management push for a salary cap.
Harper is a two-time NL MVP and one of the game's marquee names, making his confrontation with Manfred more noteworthy. The eight-time All-Star agreed to a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Phillies in February 2019.
“Obviously, I don’t want that to happen in those meetings,” Harper said. “I don’t want those things to be out there. I think, you know, when we have meetings with the commissioner or anybody else that comes to our clubhouse, those are good meetings to have."
Manfred and some owners have cited payroll disparity as one of baseball's biggest problems, while at the same time MLB is working to address a revenue decline from regional sports networks. Unlike the NFL, NBA and NHL, baseball has never had a salary cap because its players staunchly oppose one.
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