The next MLB collective bargaining agreement is shaping up to be a knock-down, drag-out fight between owners and players. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper told Commissioner Rob Manfred to “get the f*** out of our clubhouse” during a heated exchange about a salary cap.
The confrontation occurred while Manfred was visiting the team last week.
“Quiet for the majority of the meeting, Harper, sitting in a chair and holding a bat, eventually grew frustrated and said if MLB were to propose a cap and hold firm to it, players ‘are not scared to lose 162 games,’ sources from the meeting told ESPN,” according to Passan. “Harper stood up, walked toward the middle of the room, faced Manfred and said: ‘If you want to speak about that, you can get the f— out of our clubhouse.'”
Manfred fired back at Harper, saying he was “not going to get the f*** out of here.” The meeting continued and the two shook hands afterwards. However, the two-time National League MVP refused to answer phone calls from Manfred the following day.
The tension wasn’t lost on Harper’s teammates, who witnessed the exchange firsthand.
“It was pretty intense, definitely passionate,” Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos told Passan. “Both of ’em. The commissioner giving it back to Bryce and Bryce giving it back to the commissioner. That’s Harp. He’s been doing this since he was 15 years old. It’s just another day. I wasn’t surprised.”
Castellanos continued: “Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap because he’s floating the word ‘lockout’ two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement [expiration]. That’s nothing to throw around. That’s the same thing as me saying in a marriage, ‘I think divorce is a possibility. It’s probably going to happen.’ You don’t just say those things.”
The current CBA expires Dec. 1, 2026, and a lockout appears inevitable as owners push for a salary cap while the players union remains vehemently opposed. The last MLB lockout lasted from Dec. 2, 2021 until March 10, 2022, with no games missed. This time around, the stakes — and the rhetoric — suggest a different outcome.
