Phillies’ Jean Segura shares anti-Manfred post on Instagram after MLB delays Opening Day
Philadelphia Phillies players aren’t typically the most vocal on social media.
However, the heightened tensions, cancelation of Opening Day, and the blatant PR smear campaign by the owners have forced Phillies and players around the league to speak out.
Bryce Harper has asked the Nippon League’s Yomiuri Giants to give him a call, and Didi Gregorius and Rhys Hoskins have spoken out on Twitter. Now, add Jean Segura to the list of Phillies who are officially over it.
After the union officially rejected MLB’s final proposal on Tuesday afternoon, the commissioner addressed the media and fans. Unsurprisingly, his comments were ludicrous and ridden with misinformation that was easily fact-checked.
Segura was quick to share Boston Herald reporter Jason Mastrodonato’s correction of one of Manfred’s lies.
Jeanie 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/D2kOdU0PeO
— PHILLIES TBOH (@FS_TBOH) March 2, 2022
According to Statista, MLB revenue in 2019 ($10.37B) was nearly double what it was in 2009 ($5.9B). Even in the pandemic-shortened 60-game 2020 season, with no fans in the ballparks, MLB took in $3.66B.
After Manfred’s presser on Tuesday, Spotrac did some calculations, as well:
From 2015-19, #MLB revenue jumped from $8.2B to $10.7B, a 30% increase.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 2, 2022
From 2015-19, the average player salary decreased from $4.45M to $4.17M, while the median fell from $1.65M to $1.15M.
Of the 1,400+ players who accrued a day of 2021 service time, 41% earned less than $1M.
For the ballplayers that make owners rich and the fans on the sidelines, hearing the league’s puppet claim that baseball isn’t profitable and that billionaires are struggling is a slap in the face. But it’s also nothing new; Manfred has been doing this for a long time, and by now, everyone is sick of being treated like they’re too dumb to look up facts he tries to pretend don’t exist.
Unless the Phillies pick up Segura’s club option for 2023, this will be his final season with the team. He’s beloved here, and has done well; since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners ahead of the 2019 season, he’s hit .282/.337/.427 with a .763 OPS, 33 home runs, 69 doubles, 183 runs scored, 143 RBI, and 21 stolen bases over 329 games.