Manfred downplays Harper squabble, optimistic about labor deal

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said a recent dispute with Philadelphia Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper wasn't significant, and the two of them resolved the issue.

"I think more has been made out of this than needs to be made out of it," Manfred said, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "Bryce expressed his views. At the end of the meeting, we shook hands and went our separate ways. Not all that significant."

During Manfred's recent meeting with Phillies players, Harper reportedly told the commissioner to "get the f--k out of our clubhouse" if he wanted to discuss the idea of MLB implementing a salary cap.

"It was an individual picking a particular way to express himself, and I don't think you need to make more out of it than that," Manfred said.

Players are opposed to a salary cap, and concerns have increased that a lockout might occur when the collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season.

But Manfred believes the league and players' union will work things out.

"It's natural that when you get to the end of a collective bargaining agreement, people who are 'glass half full' people have trepidation about what's going to happen," Manfred said.

"I'm optimistic we're going to find a deal."