MLB commissioner Rob Manfred downplays reported Bryce Harper confrontation: 'We shook hands'
Speaking with reporters on Friday after announcing Wrigley Field will host the 2027 MLB All-Star Game, Manfred downplayed a meeting in which the Philadelphia Phillies star reportedly told him he could "get the f*** out of our clubhouse" in response to a mention of the game's economics.
When asked about the exchange, Manfred said the reaction was overblown:
"I don't talk about those player meetings — let me say this. I think more has been made out of this than needs to be made out of it. Bryce expressed his views, at the end of the meeting, we shook hands and went our separate ways. Just not all that significant.
"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.
Harper was similarly hesitant to discuss the incident after it was reported, but did confirm it took place and added 'I've always been very vocal [in labor discussions], just not in a way that people can see.'
The incident occurred amid mounting tension over upcoming collective bargaining agreement, which expires after the 2026 season. It is expected the league will insist on the introduction of a salary cap, which the MLB Players Association has always treated as a non-starter.
If both sides hold their ground, the result would likely be a work stoppage that could affect the 2027 season. Manfred reportedly mentioned the word "lockout" in the meeting with the Phillies, and it's never a good sign when the commissioner is planting that seed more than a year in advance.
Asked about a contingency plan for a work stoppage on Friday, Manfred again downplayed the possibility:
"My contingency plan is to make an agreement with the players and play the '27 season."
Few other stakeholders are as optimistic. In March, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said the union believes a lockout is coming. This week, Phillies star Nick Castellanos used an interesting analogy for Manfred's mention of a lockout, via ESPN:
"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."
It's been a contentious decade already for the league and union, which got in protracted disputes in both 2020 and the 2021-22 offseason. The latter resulted in both a delayed start to the 2022 season (but no lost games) and the current deal set to expire after 2026.
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Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Associated Press
49ers' Robert Saleh leads list of new coordinators for NFL contenders
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers went back to a familiar face when coach Kyle Shanahan looked to revive a defensive unit that had gone from dominant to mediocre in recent years. The Niners brought back Robert Saleh for a second stint as coordinator in hopes that he could once again build back the defense in similar fashion to what he did in 2019 when San Francisco's stingy defense helped carry the team to the Super Bowl. 'His commanding presence in defensive meetings is what we needed,' star defensive end Nick Bosa said. The 49ers aren't the only contender that made a change at play-caller on offense or defense headed into 2025. How all of those work out will go a long way to determining which teams are playing deep into January. Some teams were forced to make changes they didn't want to with Detroit needing to replace both coordinators after Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn got head coaching jobs and Super Bowl champion Philadelphia needing to replace offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after he became Saints head coach. Tampa Bay is in a similar boat for a second straight season after losing an offensive coordinator to a head coaching job with Liam Coen leaving for Jacksonville one year after Dave Canales left for Carolina. Other teams such as Houston, Cincinnati and Seattle made changes in hopes of finding a spark. Here's a look at some of the key new coordinators around the NFL: 49ers DC Robert Saleh The 49ers ranked 29th in the league in scoring defense last season, allowing 25.6 points per game, and were tied for the seventh-fewest takeaways with 17 as the unit looked nothing like the dominant ones under Saleh and DeMeco Ryans from 2019-22. That led to Shanahan making another change at coordinator, bringing back Saleh after he was fired as head coach of the New York Jets to replace the fired Nick Sorensen. During Saleh's last two full seasons with the Jets in 2022-23, New York ranked first in yards passing allowed per game (178.9) and yards per play allowed (4.7), and second in total defense (301.7 yards per game). The Niners are hoping similar results will get them back to the postseason after a 6-11 record in 2024. Lions OC John Morton and DC Kelvin Sheppard Detroit became the third team in the past 15 seasons to lose both coordinators to NFL head coaching jobs in the same offseason with it also happening to Philadelphia following the 2022 season and Cincinnati after 2013. Both those teams went back to the playoffs the following season, losing in the wild-card round. The Lions have their sights set higher after making it to the NFC title game in 2023 and losing in the divisional round as the top seed last season. Whether that happens will depend heavily on if Morton can keep the offense in the top five in scoring for a fourth straight season after Johnson helped make it one of the most dynamic in the league with his trick plays and schemes. Morton has only one year of play-calling experience in the NFL in 2017 with the Jets, finishing in the bottom 10 in scoring with an offense that lacked the playmakers he has in Detroit. Sheppard should be helped by getting star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson back healthy after he missed the final 12 games last season with a broken leg. Eagles OC Kevin Patullo QB Jalen Hurts will have a fourth play-caller in as many years with Patullo getting promoted from passing game coordinator following Moore's departure. The offense improved under Moore in 2024 after stagnating the previous season when Brian Johnson replaced Shane Steichen as OC. Patullo has plenty of talent with one of the top offensive lines, record-setting running back Saquon Barkley and two talented wideouts in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to support Hurts. Buccaneers OC Josh Grizzard Tampa Bay's offense got even better last season when Coen replaced Canales with both the running game and screen passing showing major improvement. Grizzard will try to build on that as he moves from passing game coordinator to OC. He was heavily involved with the third down offense last season when the Bucs led the NFL by converting 50.9%. Texans OC Nick Caley Coach DeMeco Ryans made a change after last season even though Houston made it back to the divisional round. That came in spite of the offense taking a big step back thanks in large part to shoddy line play that hindered the growth of QB C.J. Stroud. Caley comes over after spending the past two seasons on Sean McVay's staff with the Rams and is being counted on to bring some of Los Angeles' successful wrinkles to Houston to help make Stroud's job at quarterback easier. He will need to do it with an overhauled offensive line that lost stalwart Laremy Tunsil in the offseason. Bengals DC AL Golden The Bengals went to the college ranks to hire Golden away from Notre Dame to replace Lou Anarumo. Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl with Anarumo leading the defense in the 2021 season but regressed the past few years and were ranked in the bottom 10 in most categories last season. Golden spent the 2020-21 seasons as linebackers coach for the Bengals and brings a man-heavy scheme to the NFL. Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak Seattle hired Kubiak to replace Ryan Grubb in hopes that his scheme heavy on zone blocking and play-action passing can help the Seahawks offensive line. 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New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
Lions 53-man roster projection: Taking a close look at battles for final spots
The Detroit Lions have a preseason game and two weeks of practice under their belts. The coaching staff has been able to evaluate everything — from shells to full pads and now, a game performance for those who need it. There weren't many questions with this roster, but some have already been answered. Advertisement Let's take a look at where things stand with our first Lions roster projection. Jared Goff Hendon Hooker Others: Kyle Allen. If Kyle Allen continues to play like he did in the preseason opener, he won't have a spot on this team. He made a poor throw on a pass intended for Tom Kennedy that was picked off and nearly returned for a touchdown, and made a poor decision throwing into double coverage on an end-zone shot to Isaac TeSlaa — also intercepted. I expected more from Allen, given how well he's performed in practice. He's got time to make up for it, though. The same goes for Hooker. He's in line to get the start vs. the Falcons this week and I'd expect a much more efficient outing. It was hard to evaluate him with third-stringers blocking and running routes for him. Side note: I get why the Lions alternate QBs the way they do — with Allen getting the first shot one day and Hooker the next — but they're never going to learn anything about Hooker by using him this way. He threw six passes 0n Thursday. He should be getting the first shot in these games. Full stop. Jahmyr Gibbs David Montgomery Craig Reynolds Sione Vaki Others: Kye Robichaux, Jabari Small, Jacob Saylors. No real surprises here. The Lions could maybe maneuver cut down day and leave Reynolds off the initial roster before bringing him back immediately — they did this in 2023 — but they could also simply leave it as is. These four will be Detroit's running backs this season. Amon-Ra St. Brown Jameson Williams Tim Patrick Isaac TeSlaa Kalif Raymond Dominic Lovett Others: Tom Kennedy, Jackson Meeks, Ronnie Bell, Jakobie Keeney-James, Malik Taylor. The first five names here are all roster locks, and at this point, Lovett has the best shot out of the other rookie receivers to make the roster. He's been adding value on special teams and has been one of Detroit's top targets, along with TeSlaa, on the second-team offense. But he needs a better showing in the Falcons game to overcome a poor performance vs. the Chargers. He had a bad drop on Detroit's first drive and had a pass from Hooker ripped out of his hands for an interception. Sam LaPorta Brock Wright Shane Zylstra Others: Zach Horton, Kenny Yeboah. At this point, it feels like the Lions will go thin at tight end. LaPorta and Wright are locks and Zylstra splits time between the first- and second-team offense. Yeboah has not done much to stand out and got hurt in the Chargers game. I do like Horton as a fullback/H-back but I think he has work to do. Could be a practice squad option, though. Advertisement LT Taylor Decker LG Christian Mahogany C Graham Glasgow RG Tate Ratledge RT Penei Sewell OT Dan Skipper OT Giovanni Manu G Kayode Awosika OT Jamarco Jones Others: Kingsley Eguakun, Trystan Colon, Colby Sorsdal, Netane Muti, Michael Niese, Mason Miller, Justin Herron. Active/PUP: Miles Frazier. Some thoughts here. Coach Dan Campbell said Frazier (knee) will be out until September/October, and the Lions won't rush him back. I would've liked to have found a spot for Eguakun but I don't think he offers enough versatility at the moment, as Ratledge would be the backup center if it came to it. Awosika has been the most consistent reserve guard and rotates with the first-team offense on occasion, so I think he makes it over the other options. As for Detroit's tackle depth, Skipper has had a rough training camp filling in for Decker. Blocking Aidan Hutchinson isn't exactly a walk in the park, but Skipper tends to stick out when he's with the starters. That's what he'd be asked to do in the event of an injury. With Manu still developing, Jones might be Detroit's best backup tackle. I'd roster three of them until Frazier is cleared. Think of it like this: Two starting tackles (Sewell and Decker) and two reserve tackles (Skipper and Jones). Three starting interior linemen (Glasgow, Mahogany, Ratledge — who can also play center) and one reserve (Awosika). Manu is the developmental player. DJ Reader Tyleik Williams Mekhi Wingo Roy Lopez Pat O'Connor Others: Keith Cooper, Chris Smith, Myles Adams, Brodric Martin. Reader and Williams have been locked in as starters since camp began. Lopez and O'Connor have been the top reserves, with UDFA Cooper making some noise along the way. But if Wingo is healthy to begin the season — he told me the team is being cautious with him — then there might not be a spot for Cooper on the initial roster. Really like what I've seen from him, though. He can change the conversation by continuing to stack good days. Advertisement Aidan Hutchinson Marcus Davenport Josh Paschal Al-Quadin Muhammad Ahmed Hassanein Others: Nate Lynn, Mitchell Agude, Isaac Ukwu. A lot of this depends on what the Lions do with Paschal. Campbell said that Paschal, currently on NFI, should be back by early September. However, he'll need a few weeks of practice to ramp up. Depends how long the Lions think he'll need, but perhaps he could be back within the first month. I'll keep him on the roster for now. If not, I'd have Lynn in for him. He's been a bright spot this training camp, after impressing last year before a season-ending injury. Alex Anzalone Jack Campbell Derrick Barnes Zach Cunningham Grant Stuard Trevor Nowaske Others: Anthony Pittman, Ezekiel Turner, DaRon Gilbert. Active/PUP: Malcolm Rodriguez. The Lions usually roll deep at linebacker for special teams purposes. Their initial roster had seven a year ago. I've got them at six this year. Anzalone, Barnes and Campbell are starters. Cunningham would be the first man off the bench. Stuard is an ace special-teamer and offers instincts defensively. Nowaske is a young player who knows all three positions. Pittman, a veteran, could stick around on the practice squad. Terrion Arnold D.J. Reed Amik Robertson (nickel) Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Rock Ya-Sin Khalil Dorsey Others: Dicaprio Bootle, Erick Hallett, Tyson Russell, Nick Whiteside. Rakestraw left practice Sunday with a shoulder injury during a tackling drill. Campbell should provide an update Monday evening, and a long-term injury could affect the roster math a bit. Elsewhere, if Dorsey is ready to go within the first month, you have to think the Lions will try to avoid an IR stint. Sounds like things are trending that way. The rest are roster locks at a fairly deep position. Advertisement Brian Branch Kerby Joseph Avonte Maddox Loren Strickland Others: Dan Jackson, Morice Norris, Ian Kennelly. I'll be honest, this position is wide open after the top three. Maddox has emerged as the true third safety and the first option off the bench. The fourth safety spot, if the Lions choose to roster one, will have to be someone who can contribute on special teams. Strickland made the roster that way a year ago and started at safety in the preseason game, so we'll give him the nod for now. I think Norris gives them a bit more defensively, though. Jackson has been chewed out by the coaching staff on occasion, but he does offer some special teams play. Dark horse here is Kennelly, who just catches the eye. I'd like to see him get more opportunities. K Jake Bates P Jack Fox LS Hogan Hatten Others: N/A No drama here. These are the only three specialists in camp. (Top photo of Hendon Hooker: Nick Cammett / Imagn Images)
Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Associated Press
BYU looking to fill unexpected hole at quarterback after Jake Retzlaff's offseason departure
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