Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred would prefer any and all collective bargaining or discussion of labor issues between the owners and the players association remain in-house. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t look like there is an easy way to get the toothpaste back into the tube.
Manfred on Tuesday held a news conference in Arizona prior to a media day event at the Glendale Civic Center for all teams participating in the Cactus League, including the Royals, who were represented by manager Ned Yost and general manager Dayton Moore.
Several of the topics reporters questioned Manfred about included the potential for a strike when the current collective-bargaining agreement expires in three years, the manipulation of service time by clubs to retain young players and whether the current system of free agency still works efficiently.