Rob Manfred sends 17-page letter to Senate Judiciary Committee defending MLB’s antitrust exemption

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred defended the league’s antitrust exemption in a 17-page letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday. In the letter, Manfred argued MLB’s antitrust exemption “has meaningfully improved the lives of Minor League players.”

The letter comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee requested more information on MLB’s antitrust exemption in July. The committee is looking into how the league’s antitrust exemption affects a number of areas of the game, including working conditions for minor-league players.

Manfred touched on that topic in Friday’s letter, arguing the antitrust exemption is a good thing for minor-league players and that it has helped bring baseball to communities “that otherwise could not economically support a professional baseball team.”

Manfred argued baseball would be less accessible and more expensive for fans if the antitrust exemption was dissolved.

“Without the exemption, there would be baseball in far fewer communities, and without MLB’s substantial subsidization, the cost of attending a Minor League baseball game would be significantly higher in many places.”

MLB received criticism from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2021 after the league cut 40 minor-league teams as part of a minor-league reorganization. Sanders has routinely spoken out against Manfred and MLB.