Trevor Bauer Actually Gives Props to Rob Manfred Following Productive Wednesday Meeting With Players

Sometimes, Spring Training drama creates strange bedfellows.

Trevor Bauer has spent much of the offseason, between Driveline sessions and being highly critical of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred over the punishment of the Houston Astros and proposed playoff expansion.

But give Manfred credit -- as it turns out, he was a man of his word this week, and fulfilled his agreement to meet with Bauer and a group of other MLB players for a frank Q&A session.

I’ve been publicly critical of Rob Manfred before, but I have to give him props. He said he’d meet with any players who had further questions and he was a man of his word this morning. We had a very productive meeting about a wide range of topics. @MLB
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) March 4, 2020

All things considered, Bauer sounds like he came away at least modestly impressed that the most powerful man in the game followed through on his promise and took the time to discuss these hot topics directly with players.

The league's latest postseason proposal, featuring a reality show element of opponent picking and two extra teams in each league, feels ludicrous and like a grab for attention, mid-scandal. However, several other Manfred innovations, like the three-batter minimum, were approved and instituted this year, leaving Bauer rightfully nervous that he'd need to get heard quickly to avoid being run over by the idea's momentum.

No idea who made this new playoff format proposal, but Rob is responsible for releasing it, so I’ll direct this to you, Rob Manfred. Your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type on twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball. You’re a joke.
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) February 11, 2020

As for the Astros' punishment, there's no putting the horse back in the barn at this point. But in a productive meeting setting, at least the league's players got to voice their opinions as the treatment of the Houston players by certain opposing pitchers and fans rises to a fever pitch (fever hit-by-pitch?) down in Florida.

Say what you will about Manfred, but he met with some of his most spirited opponents and heard them out. That's something.