Rob Manfred says penalty against GM A.J. Preller 'speaks for itself'

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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Commissioner Rob Manfred is confident Major League Baseball teams fully disclose medical records, but said his office has demonstrated that it will use discipline as a way to discourage rules violations.

Speaking during an appearance in Texas on Tuesday, Manfred made his comments less than a week after MLB suspended Padres general manager A.J. Preller for 30 days without pay for his actions in the Drew Pomeranz trade to Boston.

Preller's punishment for failing to disclose medical information was unprecedented in baseball.

While Manfred wouldn't get into his reasoning for that specific penalty in the Padres case, he said, "I think the penalty speaks for itself."

The commissioner said teams are sent annual guidelines in how medical records are to be maintained, and that he is confident that teams adhere to those guidelines.