Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper is usually known for his quiet leadership, but his latest quarrel with Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred proves how at odds both parties are when it comes to discussing a potential future change to the sport: a salary cap. The state of MLB has never been more sensitive or fragile than when it comes to the 2026 collective bargaining agreement than it is right now.
In an annual meeting that Manfred holds with each clubhouse, he visited the Phillies last week in an attempt to better strengthen the relationship between himself and the players. He went on to talk about the economics of the sport and possibilities to grow the sport.
Despite the words "salary cap" not explicitly being used, Harper stood up after remaining quiet for some time and uttered that players "are not scared to lose 162 games" over the issue, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, and the discussion quickly turned heated as Harper approached Manfred.
"If you want to speak about that, you can get the f--- out of our clubhouse," Harper said, per Passan, while reportedly standing nose-to-nose with Manfred.
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper stood nose to nose with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred during a meeting last week and told him to “get the f--- out of our clubhouse” if he wanted to talk about a salary cap, sources told ESPN. News free and unlocked: https://t.co/DukJC3i8T5
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2025
Bryce Harper's wild clash with Rob Manfred foreshadows a lockout after the current CBA expires
Manfred and Harper proceeded to go back and forth after that. The comment might appear as a knee-jerk reaction to Manfred's comments in the meeting, but it's only the tip of the iceberg of what's to come.
For years, Manfred has spoken about his desire to implement a salary cap, as MLB is the only North American sport without one. It would be an attempt to cap an amount any team can spend while also increasing the salary floor with which a franchise is allowed to operate. It's been a hot topic of discussion in previous CBA meetings between the Commissioner's office and the MLB Players Association, but this time it all could come to a head.
With baseball owners also starting to get behind the idea, the expiration of the current CBA in December of 2026 could spell an elongated lockout. The lockout after the 2021 regular season lasted 99 days before play resumed on March 10, 2022.
Tony Clark, executive director of the MLBPA, has long refuted accepting any salary cap in the sport and will continue to do so after the 2026 season. Harper's comments about not being afraid to lose an entire season only add fuel to the fire since Manfred himself hinted at one coming after the 2022 lockout (subscription required), per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
Harper's teammate Nick Castellanos also gave his two cents about the impending labor situation.
"Rob [Manfred] 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]," Castellanos said, per Passan. "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 future is uncertain right now with the two sides constantly at odds. In the past, owners and players were able to coexist, but this time it's different. Owners and Manfred are digging in their heels to make a sweeping change, but the players are also willing to do whatever it takes to wait it out. It's all just talk when it comes to massively overhauling the sport, but when it's the sport's biggest stars like Harper standing up and saying enough is enough, it proves that the future of the sport looks as clouded as it ever has with less than two years to go.