Latest news with #RobManfred
New York Times
an hour ago
- Business
- New York Times
MLB, ESPN renew talks to keep baseball on network: Sources
Representatives for Major League Baseball and ESPN have renewed talks to keep the sports network involved in the game after a contentious break-up earlier this year, sources briefed on the conversation told The Athletic. The conversations were described to be in their early stages and, if they were to progress, would center around local rights and pieces of ESPN's former package. Advertisement In February, ESPN opted out of the final three seasons of its $550 million contract that gave it the right to broadcast 'Sunday Night Baseball,' the Home Run Derby and eight-to-12 playoff games. ESPN and MLB have been in business together for 35 years. If no new agreement is struck, their relationship would end in October. MLB and ESPN declined comment. Since the opt-out, NBC, Apple and Fox have been linked to parts or all of ESPN's current package. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he hopes to have a deal in place by mid-July's All-Star Game for those rights. News of ESPN's potential return is significant because after ESPN opt-outed, MLB did as well. The league expressed disdain for its longtime partner. In a memo obtained by The Athletic's Evan Drellich in February, Manfred informed the owners of the decision for MLB to counter ESPN's opt-out by also opting-out of ESPN's $550 million a year deal. While a symbolic gesture, Manfred also went on to describe the network as a 'shrinking platform' and said the league was 'not pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN's platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.' ESPN's chairman Jimmy Pitaro has previously stated that he would like his network and his new direct-to-consumer app to be part of the local rights solution. MLB has struggled as the reduction of households with cable television and significantly reduced the viability of regional sports networks. In mid-May, Pitaro, during an announcement for ESPN's forthcoming new app, said his network remained interested in MLB, but had not had any conversations with the league at that point. Manfred said earlier in June that he would prefer not to be in the current negotiations since he liked the $550 million per year deal it had with ESPN. Advertisement ESPN felt it was paying too much, so it exercised its option. MLB has made deals with Apple TV for Friday night exclusive doubleheaders for around $85 million and with Roku for late Sunday morning games for $10 million a year. The Athletic previously reported that Manfred and his lieutenants have held talks regarding the league's out-of-market local rights package. ESPN, as well as streamers, like YouTube and Amazon, would be prime contenders for the programming. If an agreement came to fruition, it would be expected that it would only be for three years as MLB wants to line-up all of its rights agreements for after the 2028 season. At that point, Fox's World Series/playoff and TNT Sports' playoff rights conclude. MLB's international packages are also due at that point.
New York Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Rob Manfred has a plan: tell players they've lost billions, and build their trust in him
When the lockout ended four years ago, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred came to believe that union head Tony Clark had grown out of step with his members. In turn, Manfred devised what he called 'a pretty disciplined plan' to deliver his own messages to players over the last three years in annual meetings. Advertisement The first year, Manfred was positive about the game's collective bargaining agreement. The next year, he said his tune changed a little. Then 'this year, it's really pretty pointed.' He rails against the lack of a deadline in free agency. He tells players their salaries should be growing faster. In fact, he says, they could be $2-plus billion richer had they decided to equally split the game's revenues with owners some 20-plus years ago. He suggests, however, union leadership doesn't want to deliver change. 'There seems to be kind of a mismatch between what we see at the union leadership level and what the players are thinking,' Manfred said. 'The strategy is to get directly to the players,' Manfred continued. 'I don't think the leadership of this union is anxious to lead the way to change. So we need to energize the workforce in order to get them familiar with or supportive of the idea that maybe change in the system could be good for everybody.' Manfred explained this strategy during an investor event held by the Atlanta Braves. There, the commissioner both criticized the union and detailed his approach to labor in ways he had not publicly in years. In a statement to The Athletic, Clark called Manfred's effort a 'sales pitch' that's 'full of misleading or downright false statements,' and suggested the commissioner was simply trying to drive a wedge between players. 'At a time of resurgent attendance, record revenues, and increasing franchise values, MLB should be focused on further promoting our sport,' Clark's statement began. 'Instead, their stated plan is once again to try to divide players from each other and their union in service of a system that would add to the owners' profits and franchise values, while prohibiting clubs from fully competing to put the best product on the field for the fans and limiting player compensation, guarantees and flexibility.' Advertisement Sports Business Journal previously reported on Manfred's comments. The end of MLB's collective bargaining agreement is nearing in December 2026, leaving one more regular season before another lockout could well arrive. Negotiations are likely to start no later than next summer, and both sides are laying the groundwork. Touting the importance of improving MLB franchise values, Manfred wants to overhaul MLB's media rights and revenue-sharing systems. He also continuously hints that he could push for a salary cap as part of those changes. The revenue-split system Manfred described is typical in other major North American sports leagues, where it is also part and parcel to a cap. But a firm limit on player spending has always been anathema to the Major League Baseball Players Association. Manfred has remained noncommittal when asked what he plans to propose. But no matter the specific approach, player buy-in will make any change Manfred pursues easier, and he's been lobbying for it. Manfred has met with virtually every team annually for three seasons now, an effort he said originated with the way the last lockout ended in March 2022. Back then, the union's eight-player executive subcommittee — a group that works closely with union officials like Clark — voted against accepting the current labor deal, which MLB proposed. But almost all of the other 30 player voters, one representative from each team, held a different opinion. The final vote was 26-12 to accept the deal, ending the lockout. That result is what Manfred said led him to believe there's a disconnect between union and player thinking. In the player meetings, Manfred said he starts players with a rhetorical question: 'What does the current system do for players?' 'Over the last 20 years, the slowest growing salaries among the four major professional sports: baseball,' Manfred says. 'And when I make that point, what I usually say to the players: 'To me, that that's a failure on our part.'' Advertisement The arguments that follow then all seem like a nudge towards a cap. One point, he acknowledged, can fall on deaf ears when presented to players with big salaries. 'Ten percent of our players earn 72 percent of the money,' the commissioner says for his second point. 'I usually try to avoid the high-earning guy at this point and find a younger player and say, 'Look, if you're one of the 10 percent, it's a great deal. But if you're the other 90, it ain't so good.'' It wasn't immediately clear how MLB calculated those figures. Manfred's third point goes after the lack of a signing deadline during free agency, another feature of other major sports. 'They have free agency, it's about a month, there's lots of bidders, it's a great marketing opportunity for the sport, players have their choice of where to go, all positive,' Manfred says. 'Our free agency is like the Bataan Death March. It starts the day after the World Series. And in February, really, really good players are still wandering around the landscape.' In baseball, players and agents have long feared a signing deadline would be used to effectively lowball players. Most other sports have deadlines. But in cap systems, determining which player receives what salary amount is a little more akin to a game of musical chairs. The overall split of revenue is predetermined. The last point Manfred makes is the one that suggests players have hurt themselves over time. 'My first deal where I was the chief negotiator in 2002, we were spending 63 percent of our revenue on players,' Manfred said. 'Today, we spend about 47 percent on players. 'I said, 'So what does that mean?' I said, 'The math means you are getting — you the players — are getting a smaller and smaller percentage of each dollar.' And in fact, if we had made the deal 10 years ago to share (revenue) 50-50, you would have made two and a half billion dollars more than you made.' Advertisement Clark questioned MLB's figures generally. 'MLB's sales pitch, full of misleading or downright false statements, is coupled with their already announced intention to shut down the sport unless they get their way,' Clark's statement concluded. 'Players' goal remains to continue to protect and improve the health of the sport, advance and protect the rights of players at all levels, and make the game as competitive as possible for the good of the game and the people who love it.' Manfred has not definitively said the owners will bring another lockout at the end of the CBA. But officials across the industry universally expect one, and Manfred has made public comments that strongly suggest another is coming. The commissioner has made multiple references to offseason lockouts as 'the norm' in professional sports. Until the investor call, Manfred had typically been more publicly reserved on labor since the last lockout. The June event put him in front of a different audience than a typical press conference, however. But Manfred was also aware the event could be viewed by the general public. The moment might have been opportunistic for Manfred given recent news around the union. Federal investigators have been looking into Clark, as well as officials at other sports unions, in a probe related to a licensing company co-owned by the MLBPA. Manfred also shed light on another labor-related subject he's generally avoided in other settings. After the last lockout, the league formed an 'economic reform committee.' 'We've had sort of a purposely mysterious process that we've referred to as the committee on economic reform,' Manfred said. 'And purposely mysterious in the sense that not everybody needs to know exactly what you're doing all the time, despite the press interest. 'Really the focus of that committee from day one was franchise values. Where are we? Why are we where we are, and what can we do to fix our situation?' Advertisement Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said at the investor event that MLB teams typically are valued at four to nine times their expected revenues. He directly compared that to NBA teams, which he said draw valuations at multiples of 10 to 15. 'There's nine (MLB) teams that are at a five multiple or less,' McGuirk said. 'Rob can fix that.' Centralizing revenue, which would go hand in hand with more national media deals, would boost those values because it makes income more predictable. 'If you can grow your central revenue and level out your revenue disparity, it then gives you the flexibility to either dramatically reduce or get out of this revenue sharing business altogether,' Manfred said. Most any change to revenue sharing has to be bargained with the union, however. The union has historically worried that if baseball teams receive too much central revenue, they're disincentivized from investing in their product and players. Centralized revenue also divides the owners themselves, because large-market teams make more money than those in small markets. 'People often say that when you make a (labor) deal bigger, it's harder to get it done,' Manfred said. 'This is one of those areas where a bigger deal, in terms of media, labor, revenue sharing, actually gives you trade-offs to accomplish things. 'People say, 'Why are the big markets going to do X?' The big markets are going to do X because they're getting Y over here. … It is complicated, but I do think it creates a real opportunity for reform. And look, if we get to a multiple that is more in line with how we see the strength of the business, you're unlocking a tremendous increase in franchise sales.' (Photo of Manfred: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB mock draft 2025: Will College World Series shake things up in first round?
With Major League Baseball's draft looming in a little more than a month, it's evident that selection Sunday will be volatile right up to the point commissioner Rob Manfred officially marries player with team from the dais of Atlanta's Roxy Theater. While the lack of a consensus No. 1 – let alone a top 5, 10, 20 – will rob the proceedings of a Paul Skenes-like anointment, the Choose Your Own Adventure element of this selection meeting should be evident throughout the first round. Advertisement COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: 8 MLB draft prospects to watch in Omaha With only the College World Series remaining among amateur competition and MLB's Draft League revving up, USA TODAY Sports takes aim its second mock draft: 1. Washington Nationals: Ethan Holliday, INF, Stillwater (Okla.) HS He's not No. 1 with a bullet. Yet it's difficult to justify moving Holliday off here even as there's plenty of smoke around 1/1 alternatives. The crop of majors-ready arms did little to harm their stock in the postseason. Seth Hernandez may possess the dudeliest arm out there. Eli Willits visited Nationals Park last week. But we're not yet prepared to envision a world where someone other than Holliday kicks off this chain reaction. Stay tuned. 2. Los Angeles Angels: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State In the name of consistency, we're keeping Arnold at 2, even as fellow college lefties Liam Doyle and Kade Anderson lurk. While both may possess greater upside and miss more bats, Arnold has shown an ability to get deep in games against elite competition, and better fits the 'now' ethos of the Angels' recent draft history. 3. Seattle Mariners: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State Oregon State's Aiva Arquette during the NCAA super regionals. At the risk of getting too static, it's nonetheless tough to move this 6-foot-5, 220-pound shortstop specimen out of the three hole, particularly with plenty of elite college arms the Mariners develop so well available. But it's also tough to pass on a potential 10-year cog in a lineup that needs one. 4. Colorado Rockies: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.) HS Kinda wild that two legacy players who squared off throughout high school will affect the other's fate so much. It's not that the Rockies face a Holliday/Willits binary when they're on the clock, but in this simulation, taking a potential cornerstone who doesn't turn 18 until December will be too tough for the need-everything Rockies to bypass. 5. St. Louis Cardinals: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU The Cardinals are almost guaranteed to get one of the elite college lefties and in this universe, it's Anderson, who has sparred with Doyle for the NCAA strikeout lead all year and will take his 163 punchouts in 103 innings into at least one more start, in Omaha. 6. Pittsburgh Pirates: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS Volatility, thy name is Seth. Who wouldn't want a 6-foot-4 high schooler whose fastball sits in the high 90s with advanced secondary offerings and has dominated against elite prep competition? Yet the trepidation of 'high school right-hander draft history' may be a headwind all the way up to Manfred's stroll to the podium. Still, this figures to be the floor, or close to it, for a fireballer on the periphery of the 1/1 conversation. 7. Miami Marlins: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS It's the 909's time to shine, with a pair of Panthers popped in succession. The Marlins stumble upon a nice building block here, as Carlson's elite arm and bat speed will get him to Miami's infield quicker than most prep draftees. 8. Toronto Blue Jays: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee While there are a few spoilers out there, this looks like the top eight, in one order or another. In this scenario, Doyle tumbles a bit; like Hernandez, his wait could be much shorter on July 13. 9. Cincinnati Reds: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns… Witherspoon? Sounds like the makings of a nice rotation thanks to draft capital spent on advanced college arms. The math checks out that an arm of that ilk will be available. Witherspoon cut his walk rate nearly in half – from 14.2% to 7.2% - making his high-upside and unpredictive repertoire even more effective. 10. Chicago White Sox: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M From 1/1 favorite to who knows, LaViolette's slide stops with the White Sox, whose revamped hitting program could be the panacea for a slugger whose platform junior year fizzled. LaViolette regressed from .305, 29 homers, 1.175 OPS to .257, 18 and 1.003, and his K rate nudged upward, to 25.2. 11. Athletics: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest The glut of prep shortstops are all still on this board, but the Athletics opt for a guy who can impact their lineup before they depart Yolo County for Las Vegas. A nice infield complement to shoo-in Rookie of the Year Jacob Wilson. 12. Texas Rangers: Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson (Texas) HS The Rangers amble down I-35 for their choice, a mature high school bat with solid Team USA bona fides and a commitment to Texas. Let the run on prep shortstops begin. 13. San Francisco Giants: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis (Miss.) HS Parker could easily be gone by now, but his power from a premier position at a young age is too much for the Giants to bypass here in the first draft overseen by the Buster Posey regime. 14. Tampa Bay Rays: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) HS He doesn't turn 18 until a week after the draft and has significant power potential and all-around athletic ability that guarantees he'll play somewhere up the middle, a versatile skill set the Rays value. 15. Boston Red Sox: Gavin Kilen, INF, Tennessee Tennesse's Gavin Kilen during the NCAA regionals against Wake Forest. A 13th-round Red Sox draftee out of high school, Kilen leveled up at Louisville and then with the Vols, with whom he slugged 15 homers with a 1.112 OPS this season. Struck out just 27 times in 245 plate appearances, a solid K rate given the elite level of pitching in the SEC. 16. Minnesota Twins: Tyler Bremner, LHP, UC Santa Barbara Bremner probably shouldn't be slept on to this extent; a consensus top five pick a few months ago, he started slowly but posted double-digit strikeout games in six of his final seven starts, and is a nice value here. 17. Chicago Cubs: Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas Sure, Arquette owns the title of 'Best Hawaiian Shortstop In the College World Series,' but Aloy looks up to few of his peers. The SEC player of the year slugged 20 home runs and is sound enough defensively to stick at shortstop. 18. Arizona Diamondbacks: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek (Ga.) HS The Georgia commit is advanced in both age – he turns 19 in August – and acumen, though there remains some power upside. 19. Baltimore Orioles: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest Until proven otherwise, the Orioles stick with their advanced college bat template in the first round, with Conrad flying under the radar thanks to season-ending shoulder injury after an outfield dive. Before he got hurt, Conrad was raking (.372/.495/.744 in 97 plate appearances) for the Demon Deacons. 20. Milwaukee Brewers: Ike Irish, C/OF, Auburn Another club that tends to lean college bat, the Brewers get a nice piece in Irish, whose .364, 19-homer platform season looks even better if he sticks at catcher professionally. But Irish caught just 12 games for the Tigers this year, spending 45 games in the outfield. 21. Houston Astros: Andrew Fischer, INF, Tennessee This is perhaps too much helium for Fischer, whose physical profile may not support the sort of power to slug as a first baseman might be expected at the big league level. But there's still onramp for Fischer to establish himself at another infield position and the Astros can figure that out as he builds off his exuberant 25-homer, 1.205 OPS platform year on Rocky Top. 22. Atlanta Braves: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset (Ore.) HS A lefty with Schoolcraft's big arm should slot much higher, but the current industry lean toward collegiate talent in the top of the first round drops him in Atlanta's lap. At 6-8 and with a 97-mph fastball, Schoolcraft has a significant floor that the Braves can work with. 23. Kansas City Royals: Gavin Fien, INF, Great Oak (Calif.) HS A Texas commit whose future position is subject to change, Fien's bat stands up against the prep shortstops projected to go ahead of him. 24. Detroit Tigers: Xavier Neyens, INF, Mt. Vernon (Wash.) HS We'll keep Neyens right here, even as his tantalizing upside and 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame could inspire clubs to jump sooner. There are worse players to dream on than a potential left-handed swinging Austin Riley. 25. San Diego Padres: Sean Gamble, INF/OF, IMG (Fla.) Academy Should add plenty of power and could end up playing anywhere on the diamond – in a good way. Gamble took his talents from Iowa to Bradenton and developed a strong baseball IQ at IMG, and possesses several traits the Padres value. 26. Philadelphia Phillies: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina Does not possess the current offensive profile that Irish offers, but Stevenson is a pure catcher, with an athletic 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame that hit 19 homers for the Tar Heels this season. 27. Cleveland Guardians: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona A nice value this deep in the first round, Summerhill offers the ability to play all three outfield positions and takes a .358/.477/.585 line into the CWS. 28. Kansas City Royals*: Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU You came to Baton Rouge for Kade Anderson, but stick around for Eyanson, who transferred from UC San Diego and struck out 135 in 93 ⅔ innings with a 2.50 ERA in his only season in the SEC. Not an overwhelming repertoire but would benefit in the Royals' burgeoning pitching program. 29. Arizona Diamondbacks**: Alex Lodise, SS, Florida State Florida State's Alex Lodise in the NCAA super regionals. More glue guy than toolbox, Lodise nonetheless produced a .394/.462/.705 line in his second year in Tallahassee, earning ACC player of the year honors. Hit 17 homers and has potential to add more power, but has value with his ability to play virtually anywhere. 30. Baltimore Orioles**: Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson We'll keep slotting ACC outfielders to Camden Yards until they tell us differently. Yet with his superior defensive ability, speed and extra-base pop, Cannarella fits the Orioles ethos, and a .453 career OBP doesn't hurt. 31. Baltimore Orioles**: Dean Curley, INF, Tennessee Lots of power potential packed into a versatile infielder, Curley produced nearly as many walks (45) as strikeouts (47) this season. Concerns about defense. 32. Milwaukee Brewers: Mason Neville, OF, Oregon Should be a first-day selection and perhaps hits the outskirts of the first round if things break his way. Neville offers 30-homer power in a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame that for now has stuck in center field. Advertisement *- Prospect promotion incentive pick **-Free agent compensation pick. Note: The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees each received a 10-pick penalty on their first picks for exceeding the second threshold of the competitive balance tax. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB mock draft 2025: College World Series could shake up first round
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB has a new issue with its baseballs (report)
There's a new inconsistency with MLB's baseballs. According to The Athletic, there has been more drag on the ball this season and fly balls are averaging 4 feet less than usual. Subsequently, home runs are at an eight-year low in full-time MLB ballparks. Advertisement While the league acknowledged the discrepancy, they said nothing intentional has changed with the Rawlings baseballs. 'For the last several seasons, MLB has made drag information available to the public online, which is updated daily during the season,' MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin told The Athletic in a statement. 'We are aware of an increase in average drag this season and have provided information to the Major League Baseball Players Association on this issue as our experts continue to study any potential causes beyond normal variability in a product made by hand with natural materials. There has been no change to the manufacturing, storage or handling of baseballs this year, and all baseballs remain within specifications.' In closed-door meetings, commissioner Rob Manfred has reportedly acknowledged the baseballs are behaving differently. It's something the MLBPA is keeping tabs on, too. 'The Players Association has been monitoring baseball behavior throughout the season, and recently reached out to the commissioner's office to review available data and request additional information on a range of baseball measures,' Kevin Slowey, MLBPA's managing director of player services, told The Athletic. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Angels Make Roster Decision on Former No. 8 Overall Pick on Thursday
Angels Make Roster Decision on Former No. 8 Overall Pick on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Angels will look to continue their winning streak after sweeping the Athletics in a three-game series to begin the week as they travel to Baltimore to take on the Orioles on Friday. Advertisement The Los Angeles Angels will be looking to add a boost to their offense following the call-up of second baseman Christian Moore, the eighth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee. Moore had a dominant junior season while at Tennessee, hitting 34 home runs and leading the nation in hits with 111. He helped lead the Volunteers to a national championship in 2024. After playing in 34 games in Double-A and 20 in Triple-A this season, the Angels have seen enough from the 22-year-old second baseman and have decided to bring in Moore to make his MLB debut. Jul 14, 2024; Ft. Worth, TX, USA; Christian Moore is congratulated by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred after being selected by the Los Angeles Angels as the eight player taken during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Moore was struggling to begin the 2025 season, having a .234 BA, a .342 OBP, and a .323 SLG, but he was called up to Triple-A on May 20 and it seemed to boost his confidence. Advertisement In 20 game with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees, Moore has been nothing less than dominant, having a .350 BA, .424 OBP, .575 SLG and a .999 OPS while hitting four home runs and 18 RBI. Moore also has the ability to play multiple positions, as he's gained some experience at third base in the minors. He will look to join the Los Angeles Angels in their three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
