Rob Manfred Shifting Blame to MLBPA Proves He’s Not a Capable Commissioner
By Scott Rogust
Even though the Houston Astros have become the poster child of bad public relations, no one has looked worse in this whole sign-stealing dilemma of late than Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred.
Back in January, Manfred ended his investigation of the scandal, and handed down a rather weak punishment to the Astros organization. The players in the "player-driven scheme" got off the hook with no punishment due to being granted immunity by Manfred.
After botching his press conference on Sunday, Manfred held another presser on Tuesday, and he single-handedly put blame on the MLB Player's Association on giving the Astros immunity during the investigation.
Manfred points out that players criticizing the immunity given to Astros players are members of the union that demanded that immunity.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 18, 2020
If his latest comments proved anything, it's that Manfred is unfit to hold the commissioner title.
Stars like Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, and Mike Trout, who are far from the boisterous types like their Houston counterparts, have spoken out against Manfred for a lack of punishment and downplaying the significance of the World Series.
Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge all spoke out in a major way against the Astros and their cheating scandal and how Manfred handled it.
— Dan Federico (@DanJFederico) February 18, 2020
Arguably the three biggest players in the entire sport are shitting on the Commissioner. Not a good look for him
He never brought this up on Sunday, where he made Roger Goodell look like a more capable commissioner than himself, which we didn't think was possible. Instead, after looking like a total buffoon, Manfred waits until two days later to attempt to save face.
This finger pointing is only going to turn more players against him. Not to mention, he's also straining his relationship with the MLBPA as they try to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement for 2022.
On the question of not punishing players, Rob Manfred says the MLBPA refused to make Astros available for interviews without blanket immunity.
— Stephanie Apstein (@stephapstein) February 18, 2020
Yes, punishing the Astros players would've been a difficult task, considering union rules. However, Manfred had the opportunity to strip the organization of the tainted World Series title, or the "piece of metal" as Manfred so eloquently put it.
That was the easiest solution for Manfred to look like a competent commissioner. But, he opted against it, and he's now lumped in with the Astros as the most hated figures in professional sports.