Phillies’ Bryce Harper was warned after Manfred confrontation: ‘That’s how people end up in a ditch’

What began as a tense debate over a potential MLB salary cap in the Phillies clubhouse this summer allegedly escalated into something darker.

In an episode of his podcast, “Agent Provocateur,” last week, sports agent Allan Walsh, who represents many NHL players, revealed that Phillies star Bryce Harper was threatened by MLB officials after reportedly cursing out commissioner Rob Manfred this summer.

“Harper and a few other players were now in a discussion afterwards with Manfred and some of Manfred’s staff, including, I believe, the Deputy Commissioner, who was also there,” Walsh said on his podcast, via Apple. “And in the course of this conversation, which also got heated, someone with Manfred, not Manfred, but somebody with him, like a Deputy Commissioner, said to Harper, ‘Don’t ever say that again to the Commissioner. Don’t ever disrespect him again publicly like that. That’s how people end up in a ditch.’ And that was never reported.”

During one of Manfred’s visits to the Phillies’ clubhouse, tensions flared when he raised the topic of a potential salary cap — a proposal favored by owners but opposed by the MLB Players Association.

Harper reportedly stood up and told Manfred, “If you want to talk about that, you can get the f— out of our clubhouse,” adding that players “aren’t scared to lose 162 games” over the issue, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Manfred refused to leave, insisting the discussion was vital to the league’s future.

Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos helped defuse the exchange, and while Harper and Manfred shook hands afterward, Harper later ignored the commissioner’s calls, signaling lingering friction between players and ownership ahead of the 2026 CBA talks.