When MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was asked about the criticism he has seen towards himself and the league from players on social media, Manfred quickly dismissed the nature of the inquiry as a subject that hasn't been on his mind at all during the lockout.
"I don't pay a lot of attention to social media," Manfred said when speaking with reporters on Thursday. "I think most of the commentary that's out there is tactical."
Manfred quickly turned his attention towards the next, unrelated, question, but suddenly returned to the question about his image among players, cutting off the next question to defend himself to those who say he has done a poor job of managing negotiations between the players and owners.
"By the way, I really should say one other thing," Manfred said. "In the history of baseball, the only person who has made a labor agreement without a dispute, and I did four of them, was me. Somehow, during those four negotiations, players and union representatives figured out a way to trust me enough to make a deal."
Manfred was lauded for his labor negotiation background when he became commissioner, but he has had his challenges, between the 2020 restart that was reduced to a 60-game season, to the current lockout, which is now threatening to cut into spring training. Many have criticized Manfred for the owners' delay in starting negotiations after Manfred implemented the lockout, and in the age of social media, players have not been shy in voicing their public frustrations regarding the current freeze.
Even if Manfred initially tried to appear unbothered by that reaction, he eventually made a point to defend his work as commissioner.
"I'm the same person today as I was in 1998 when I took that labor job," Manfred said. "I just don't know what else to say in response to that."
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