Manfred: Slow market not about collusion

BOSTON

It’s not collusion, it’s a “distributional problem” that has shut dozens of baseball players out of the free agent market this offseason, commissioner Rob Manfred said on Wednesday.

Speaking to a group of Boston business executives, Manfred said the percentage of revenue going to the players hasn’t changed in the past 15 years or so. If players are unhappy about how it’s being spent, Manfred said, he’s happy to talk to them about solutions.

“The money that’s going for them in aggregate is the same,” he said at a meeting of the Boston College Chief Executives Club. “It may be that you (players) think some guys are getting too much, some guys are getting too little. You’d like to create additional opportunities. It’s up to you to explain to us what you’re looking for in terms of distribution of those dollars.”

After years of growth, the total amount spent on player payroll dropped last year for the first time since 2010 and only the second time since 2002. What’s bothered the players, though, has been the slow market for free agents like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

The lack of a bidding war for two of the game’s stars left them waiting until after the start of spring training for other offers. A couple of dozen other free agents remain unsigned, and some players and agents accused owners of colluding to keep salaries down.