Shortly after the MLBPA rejected MLB’s final offer, commissioner Rob Manfred made the inevitable announcement. The start of the regular season would be not only postponed but canceled.
Manfred announced that the first two series of the year were canceled. When he was asked why those games couldn’t be rescheduled, Manfred said that interleague play taking place every day makes that impossible, as the teams in those games won’t be together enough later in the year to make up games.
As would be expected, the reaction from MLB fans and those who work in MLB was not positive.
Some of those critiques came from players.
Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association: pic.twitter.com/rmpciPsQm4
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) March 1, 2022
Giants player rep Austin Slater says there is no reason to cancel games yet. says it's not good for the game.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 1, 2022
"I don't think it's necessary. The PA has been setting up training camps and in 2020, we showed we could do it in three weeks. .. But that's their prerogative and Rob's bargaining strategy was to push up past this deadline and see if they could shove a deal down our throats."
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 1, 2022
Manclown. https://t.co/EbnJx48LZl
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) March 1, 2022
Manfred gotta go.
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) March 1, 2022
Asked a player for his reaction to Rob Manfred laughing after postponing the start of the regular season: “Are you talking about the guy who cut 42 minor-league teams and called the World Series trophy a hunk of metal?”
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 1, 2022
But the players weren’t the only ones critiquing Manfred. Far from it.
Not all reactions were suitable for print. Plenty were, though, and they were not kind to Manfred and the claims he made during his press conference.
Rob Manfred announces he's cancelling regular season games.
Meteoric rise to becoming a worse MLB commissioner than Bud Selig.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) March 1, 2022
Rob Manfred on Feb. 12: Losing regular season games would be a "disastrous outcome" for baseball.
Rob Manfred on March 1: "I am going to cancel some regular season games."
— Deesha (@DeeshaThosar) March 1, 2022
One particular claim that Manfred made that had people puzzled was when he talked about how the last five years have been difficult on MLB’s revenue, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic didn’t exist until late-2019 and the shutdowns didn’t begin to take place in the United States until March 2020.
Additionally, many were quick to point out that MLB’s revenue issues would be envied by nearly any other business in the world.
Manfred just said the last five years have been difficult for the league in terms of revenue.
That is not true. Baseball is making more money than ever before.
— ByMattMartell (@ByMattMartell) March 1, 2022
Manfred: ‘Last five years have been very difficult for the league from a revenue perspective.’ MLB has totaled about $43 billion in that period.
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) March 1, 2022
Rob Manfred: "The last five years were difficult from a revenue perspective."
In 2019, the last season before the pandemic, MLB revenues jumped for a 17th straight year to a record $10.7 billion, per Forbes.
— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) March 1, 2022
When Rob Manfred talks about revenues being "difficult" for @MLB the last five years, keep in mind in 2019, the last full season for the sport before the pandemic, it raked in a record $11 billion in revenue. That's the kind of nonsense people openly laugh at
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) March 1, 2022
Manfred said rise in CBT in line with previous agreements.
Yes. That’s the problem. It doesn’t reflect increased revenues. Just like the previous ones.— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 1, 2022
But that wasn’t the only point of contention with his press conference.
Manfred says interleague play complicates rescheduling, so games are cancelled (and players are not paid).
Reminder: In 1990, after a lockout, the first week of games was postponed (not cancelled) and played the first week of October. https://t.co/cd7brGHoaO
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) March 1, 2022
Manfred speaking, in my experience, no bueno — Dan
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) March 1, 2022
Apparently they have to cancel games because of interleague games, not because Manfred and owners have decided to cancel games. Let me make this clear. The cancelation of games is part of a lockout that is a 100% management decision. It is not required by law or circumstances.
— (((EugeneFreedman))) (@EugeneFreedman) March 1, 2022
So, for those still on the fence, Manfred just justified missing the start of the season by saying they couldn't risk entering the season and the players striking.
Think through that for a minute. Keep in mind they imposed the lockout and didn't come to the table for 43 days.
— Chris Hatfield (@SPChrisHatfield) March 1, 2022
Manfred want to bargain as quickly as possible, he says.
Where was this urgency in January?— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 1, 2022
Manfred says owners made last proposal on all issues. "Draw your own conclusions on who goes next." (Worth noting that after MLBPA made last proposal prior to MLB lockout, MLB went 43 days without an offer. Asked in Feb why no MLB offer, Manfred said phone lines work both ways.)
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) March 1, 2022
Tim Kurkjian is being NEGATIVE on ESPN, that's all you need to know about how stupid this lockout is.
We've made the happiest man on the planet sad.
— Trey Mongrue (@TreyMongrue) March 1, 2022
This is clearly not a great day for baseball. And if Manfred was hoping to win some sort of public relations battle in his press conference, he didn’t do a great job.
