Rob Manfred ‘Not Confident’ There Will Be 2020 MLB Season: Interview Transcript

Mike Greenberg: (00:00)
You told Karl Ravech here on ESPN last week that you felt 100% certain that there will be a season this year. How do you feel today?

Rob Manfred: (00:09)
Well, I know the owners are 100% committed to getting baseball back on the field. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’m 100% certain that’s going to happen. I had been hopeful that once we got to common ground on the idea that we were going to pay the players full prorated salary, that we would get some cooperation in terms of proceeding under the agreement that we negotiated with the MLBPA on March 26th. Unfortunately, over the weekend, while Tony Clark was declaring his desire to get back to work, the union’s top lawyer was out telling reporters, players, and eventually getting back to owners that as soon as we issued a schedule, as they requested, they intended to file a grievance claiming they’re entitled to an additional billion dollars. Obviously, that sort of bad faith tactic makes it extremely difficult to move forward in these circumstances.

Mike Greenberg: (01:07)
What are your concerns for the optics of this circumstance playing out as publicly as they are during the time in this country where all the other things, the confluence of events involving the pandemic and protests in the streets and everything else, of this playing out as publicly as it is?

Rob Manfred: (01:23)
It’s just a disaster for our game. Absolutely no question about it. It shouldn’t be happening. And it’s important that we find a way to get past it and get the game back on the field for the benefit of our fans.

Mike Greenberg: (01:38)
Would you describe your feelings as confident that there will still be a season?

Rob Manfred: (01:43)
I’m not confident, Mike. I think there’s real risk. And as long as there’s no dialogue, that real risk is going to continue.