Rob Manfred sent all MLB players interesting gesture of appreciation

Oct 26, 2021; Houston, TX, USA; MLB commissioner Rob Manfred before game one of the 2021 World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Manfred is definitely trying to reverse his reputation as The Grinch of Major League Baseball.

The league commissioner Manfred sent each MLB player an interesting token of appreciation ahead of Opening Day this year — a pair of Bose headphones and a two-paragraph note. Take a look.

Rob Manfred has said he needs to repair his relationship with MLB players following the lockout. Here’s a small gesture from Opening Day. Each player had a gift box waiting at their locker with Bose headphones and this “note of appreciation” from Manfred inside. pic.twitter.com/kxHnGcoaQT
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) April 10, 2022

Manfred, who is in his eighth season on the job, has taken heat over his handling of everything from the Houston Astros cheating scandal to the recently-concluded MLB lockout that delayed the start of the 2022 season. Even some of the game’s biggest stars have taken public shots at Manfred.

A pair of headphones worth a couple of hundred dollars probably won’t be enough to get Manfred back in the players’ good graces. But it is better than nothing, especially with Manfred’s habit of creating terrible PR for himself.