Philadelphia Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper has seemingly put his interaction with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to bed at least for now. It was a big story across Major League Baseball that caught the attention of millions including MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa.
DeRosa, a 16-year MLB veteran, now works for Manfred and is an MLB Network analyst. He also recently managed Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. DeRosa has been around the game of baseball and its players for a long time. He's very familiar with it all, but he reportedly made a comment regarding the Manfred-Phillies interaction that was jarring to hear.
According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, DeRosa had a warning for Phillies players about challenging Manfred (subscription required).
“The commissioner’s a powerful guy, don’t f— around with him,” was the tone of DeRosa’s message.
Mark DeRosa's ill-advised comment could easily be construed as a threat after Bryce Harper and Rob Manfred's recent altercation
DeRosa was hinting at the possibility that the commissioner, who oversees the sport on and off the field, could retaliate against players who make damaging remarks towards him. More directly, the retaliation could be from what Harper did when he previously told Manfred “to get the f--- out of our clubhouse.”
Of the players who were in attendance or briefed on the meeting, some took that as a threat. DeRosa later commented and stated that it was more of a joke than anything else.
“Shame on me for thinking I had a better relationship with some of the players in there than I guess I do,” said DeRosa, per Drellich. “The comment I made was completely in jest, completely kidding, amongst a group of about 10-12 players. Guys were laughing, guys were joking. I had managed some of them with Team USA, I had played with Bryce in 2012. Literally making a joke.”
Even if it was a joke, why make that sort of comment? Everyone involved, or on the outside looking in, knew how intense the situation was. Harper spoke his mind passionately with Manfred about not wanting a salary cap after the commissioner came into their clubhouse and heavily hinted at a salary cap, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. The two went back and forth, but the meeting did eventually end with both parties shaking hands.
When it comes to any conversation over a potential salary cap and the major push by the commissioner's office, threatening retaliation of any kind is crazy. Harper has respect for Manfred, and vice versa. DeRosa only added fuel to the fire and made it seem like feelings can't be shared and that players just have to stay in line at all times.
Harper knows his comments weren't the exact point he was trying to get across, but it will be the topic of discussion over the next two years as a lockout is a possibility after the 2026 season. It could also be the second lockout in a row after the 2021 CBA expired heading into the 2022 regular season.
There are real things at stake with the idea of a lockout at play in just a couple of years. Harper's comments were intense, but sending half-hearted threats does no good in preventing any further issue. This is a unique situation with major labor implications involving the commissioner of the sport and a team's star player. It's very different from some player forgetting to hustle out a play.