Collusion! Rob Manfred forced one last mid Yankees player onto the All-Star team

The MLB All-Star Game rosters were officially revealed on Sunday, and as has become tradition, fans took to social media to address their praise and frustration with certain picks.

For example, Paul Skenes being selected as an All-Star was a choice met with mostly jubilation. Sure, he only has ten MLB appearances under his belt, but has been utterly dominant. On the flip side, leaving guys like Christian Walker and Francisco Lindor off the team (to name a few) made little sense.

One of the most head-scratching decisions made, though, saw Clay Holmes get named an All-Star. Sure, if this was April or May it would've made sense, but Holmes has struggled mightily of late to the point where his inclusion is baffling. Even he was surprised that he made it.

It turns out, Holmes wasn't selected by players like most bench players, he was added by commissioner Rob Manfred. Because of course he was.

Rob Manfred makes unjustifiable decision to add Clay Holmes to All-Star roster

As Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald mentioned, Holmes being an All-Star over both Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel is pretty insane. Let's go over the numbers.

Holmes was the best closer in the game to start the season, going his first 20 appearances without giving up an earned run. Since then, he has posted a 6.75 ERA in his last 16 appearances, bumping his full-season ERA to 3.00. Additionally, he has blown five of his 24 save opportunities. His numbers are solid, don't get me wrong, but All-Star? Over Jansen and Kimbrel?

Jansen has been a huge reason why the Boston Red Sox are currently sitting in a postseason spot. He has a 2.01 ERA in 31 appearances and 31.1 innings of work, converting 18 of his 19 save opportunities. He has one fewer save than Holmes but his ERA is far lower and he has only one blown save to his ledger.

Kimbrel has had his bumps in the road, but has been mostly dominant. He has a 2.10 ERA in 38 appearances and 34.1 innings pitched, converting 23 of his 27 save opportunities. He has a lower ERA, more saves, and fewer blown saves. What am I missing here?

Manfred wound up adding players like Tyler Anderson, Logan Gilbert, and Tanner Scott to the roster, but that had to do with their teams needing representatives (even with them being deserving). The Yankees didn't only have two representatives, but both Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are starting for the American League. They did not need another one, yet Manfred went out of his way to add one.

Did Manfred choose Holmes so the Yankees would have someone announced before the starters were brought onto the field? What other justification could he possibly have for this decision? Having as many Yankees as possible is good for ratings, obviously, which raises the question of whether Manfred chose Holmes for those reasons.