Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman didn’t hold back on Tuesday, taking a swipe at MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on social media following the commissioner’s comments about marketing starting pitchers better.
Manfred appeared on the Questions for Cancer podcast and discussed various challenges facing the league, including the decline of starting pitchers going deep into games and how to better market them to fans. Gausman, however, was unimpressed with Manfred’s remarks and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice his frustration.
“Don’t believe a word this man says,” Gausman wrote. “Get ready for 6 innings you get to keep the DH, if not a fan hits in their spot.”
The pointed comment from Gausman appeared to be a response to recent discussions surrounding proposed rule changes in MLB, including the “golden at-bat” rule, which would allow teams to select one batter per game to hit out of turn in the lineup. While the rule is only a concept at this stage, it has sparked widespread debate among players and fans alike.
During the podcast, Manfred expressed doubts about a minimum inning requirement for starting pitchers, citing the complexity of implementing such a rule.
“I don’t think a specific inning requirement even with exceptions are workable in our rule,” Manfred said. “It’s just too blunt an instrument to fix this problem. I do see both problems as really serious. I think the injury issue – our physicians have studied this carefully. They continue to believe that the focus on velocity and spin rate is a significant cause in the increase in injuries.”
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Manfred also underscored the importance of starting pitchers in promoting the sport.
“Look, marketing the game, just think about a broadcast. The name and face you see the most is the starting pitcher. The matchups of great starting pitchers have historically been important in terms of marketing the game, and I do think we need to get back to that,” he added.
The commissioner suggested a more nuanced approach to addressing the issue, focusing on rules that incentivize teams to develop pitchers who can pitch longer into games rather than enforcing rigid inning requirements.
“To me, this needs to be addressed in a more subtle way. I think rules surrounding transactions, that is how often pitchers can come on and off the roster. One of the things that happens today, guy pitches three days in a row, he gets outrighted, they bring somebody else in. They give him some rest as opposed to him staying on the roster the whole time,” Manfred said.
“I think we need to create incentives through things like roster rules, transaction rules for clubs to develop pitchers who go deeper in the game. I don’t think it can be prescriptive, you have to go six innings. I think it has to be a series of rules that create an incentive for clubs to develop pitchers of a certain type.”
Gausman’s critique reflects a broader skepticism among some players about recent and proposed rule changes under Manfred’s tenure. As the league continues to grapple with balancing innovation and tradition, it remains to be seen whether MLB can address the concerns of both players and fans while achieving its goal of revitalizing interest in starting pitchers.
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