Social media had a bit of fun at Rob Manfred’s expense on Sunday.
Addressing reporters at Grapefruit League Media Day in Fort Myers, Fla., the MLB commissioner said that he did not believe that payroll was a good indicator of success in the league, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan.
Rob Manfred: "I reject the notion that payroll is a good measure for how much a team is trying or how successful that team is going to be."
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 17, 2019
Manfred’s somewhat befuddling remark led to some funny Twitter reactions:
The luxury tax says hi, Rob.
— Chris Dixon (@cdixon25) February 17, 2019
I reject the notion that rob manfred has made a single sensible decision as commissioner of baseball
— jt (@_jameskohout_) February 17, 2019
I don’t think Rob knows very much about baseball.
— Dan Pollitt (@dtpollitt) February 17, 2019
So the Marlins have a chance?
— CK (@LoveMyScionFRS) February 17, 2019
— ike (@mikleohagan) February 17, 2019
Indeed, last year’s World Series saw the Boston Red Sox, who had by far the highest payroll in the league, win in five games over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had the third-highest payroll in the league. Meanwhile, the MLB’s doormats of recent years, teams like the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres, have consistently finished at the bottom of the payroll rankings.
Of course, there are certain exceptions to the rule, such as the Kansas City Royals winning it all in 2015 and the Houston Astros following suit in 2017. But to suggest that payroll does not even play a role in determining how much success a team will have just seems flat-out wrong and is probably even worse than Manfred’s take about the face of his league.
