Phillies star Bryce Harper confronted Rob Manfred last week during a meeting in Philadelphia and told the MLB commissioner to "get the f*** out of our clubhouse" if he wanted to talk about bringing a salary cap to baseball, according to ESPN.

The meeting took place last week as part of Manfred's annual effort to improve relations with all players across MLB, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The MLB commissioner visits with all 30 teams each year.

According to ESPN, the meeting lasted over an hour and covered a variety of topics. The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association will expire on Dec. 1, 2026, and the owners reportedly want to implement a salary cap. MLB remains the last non-capped league among the four major North American sports.

ESPN reported that Manfred never said the words "salary cap," but Harper grew angry when the commissioner discussed the sport's economics. From Passan:

"Quiet for the majority of the meeting, Harper, sitting in a chair and holding a bat, eventually grew frustrated and said if MLB were to propose a cap and hold firm to it, players "are not scared to lose 162 games," sources from the meeting told ESPN. Harper stood up, walked toward the middle of the room, faced up to Manfred and said: "If you want to speak about that, you can get the f*** out of our clubhouse."

Manfred, sources said, responded that he was "not going to get the f*** out of here," saying it was important to talk about threats to MLB's business and ways to grow the game."

Last week, The Bandwagon's Hannah Keyser, who was recently a guest on CBS News Philadelphia's "Gallen of Questions," and Zach Crizer reported more details about the meeting.

Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos, who was quoted in the ESPN article, told The Bandwagon the team's meeting with Manfred was "passionate" but avoided using the word "contentious."

Castellanos told The Bandwagon that Manfred "was very eloquently speaking around" a salary cap. He told The Bandwagon he felt the meeting was productive and that "no one was physically assaulted."

According to ESPN, Castellanos tried to defuse the confrontation between Harper and Manfred by saying he had more questions.

ESPN reported Harper and Manfred shook hands before the meeting ended, but the Phillies' slugger did not answer the commissioner's phone calls the next day.

The possibility of another work stoppage in baseball has been looming over the game since MLB and the MLBPA signed a five-year agreement in 2022, which ended a 99-day lockout.

MLB owners have long desired to implement a salary cap, while players have strongly opposed one. Manfred told The Athletic in January that he anticipates another lockout after the current CBA expires.

"Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap because he's floating the word 'lockout' two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement [expiration]," Castellanos told ESPN. "That's nothing to throw around. That's the same thing as me saying in a marriage, 'I think divorce is a possibility. It's probably going to happen.' You don't just say those things."

Castellanos later added that "nobody wants a work stoppage in baseball. Not the players, not the league," according to ESPN.

MLB reported a record $12.1 billion in revenue for the 2024 season, a 33% increase over the last decade.

CBS News Philadelphia reached out to MLB and the Phillies for comment.