MLB News: Rob Manfred Discusses His Next Initiative

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says that personally developing a better relationship with the MLBPA is a priority of his moving forward.

No one should feel bad for him, and perhaps nobody should, but MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had a pretty rough winter up until last week. After all, he was the face of the MLB imposed 99-day lockout that was no well-received by players, and more importantly, fans.

His first press conference to announce the cancellation games featured the commissioner slyly smiling multiple times as he delivered gut-wrenching news for baseball fans. Manfred was also quite curt with reporters when asked about why the real CBA negotiations did not begin sooner. Not exactly a great look. 

Most MLB players likely aren't big Manfred fans. At the end of the day, he's the lawyer for their bosses - the MLB owners.

It appears the commissioner is well aware of how he's viewed by the players. ESPN's Alden González posted the following quote from Manfred expressing a desire to improve his relationships with the MLBPA.

“One of the things I’m supposed to do is promote a good relationship with our players. I’ve tried to do that. I think I have not been successful in that. I think that it begins with small steps. It’s why I picked the phone up after the ratification and called Tony (Clark) and expressed my desire to work with him. It’s going to be a priority of mine moving forward to try to make good on the commitment I made to him on the phone.”

It's important to note that Manfred is not employed by the players. His paycheck is written by the MLB owners. It appears that, on the whole, MLB owners are pleased with Manfred.

Why shouldn't they be? Manfred is the armor that protects them from difficult questions. He suffers the slings and arrows for them.

Manfred's quote could just be a nice public relations move, or it could be a genuine admission that he needs to do better at a very important part of his job.