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Rob Manfred Thinks Scott Boras Should Mind His Own Business Regarding Kris Bryant

(CBS) As agent Scott Boras has taken his crusade to get Cubs prized prospect Kris Bryant on the team's Opening Day roster to the national level, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has weighed in and sided with the club.

"I don't think the Cubs decision on what's going to happen to Kris Bryant is really any of Mr. Boras' business," Manfred told the Chicago Tribune on Friday. "I think the Cubs -- I know the Cubs -- will make decisions that are best for the long term competitiveness of the club. And focusing on whether a particular player has played, or is with a club on a day, or days, I don't think is a fair evaluation of what the club is up to."

If the Cubs delay Bryant's promotion by two weeks, they'll retain another year of contract control on him, through 2021 instead of 2020. For that reason, it's widely believed the Cubs will start him at Triple-A Iowa, though the team hasn't yet made a decision.

The debate over Bryant's promotional timeline has intensified as he's hammered nine homers in Cactus League play.

"The integrity of the game requires that we do not let advantages to individual clubs get in the way of the overall scope of what Major League Baseball stands for," Boras said earlier this week. "It's that principle — the best players play in the big leagues."

Cubs president Theo Epstein eloquently explained earlier this week how he's handled top prospects in his past.

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