VENICE, Fla. (AP) — Rob Manfred made a startling admission while announcing the end of baseball’s bitter labor battle last week: He’s failed in his role as a diplomat to players.
The acknowledgement was stunning enough that famously polite Atlanta Braves starter Charlie Morton nearly laughed when told about it.
“The commissioner said that?” Morton asked.
Indeed, he did. And it prompts a thornier question: What can Manfred do to prove he’s sincere about mending this rancorous marriage?
“One of the things that I’m supposed to do is promote a good relationship with our players,” Manfred said Thursday, after the end of baseball's 99-day lockout.