It was announced last night that, according to a report, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was expected to receive majority support from the owners and will be re-elected as commissioner of Major League Baseball for another term. The voting is expected next week; Manfred’s contract ends on January 25, 2025. Tuesday is when he can be elected to another term, but he also has an 18-month window for that to happen possibly.
Manfred is 64 years old and in the middle of his second term as commissioner after he succeeded Bud Selig, who retired after the 2015 season. Before becoming commissioner, Manfred served as MLB’s chief operating officer. The game of baseball has seen growth with Manfred at the helm, they brought in $10.8 billion in 2022, and he has changed some aspects of the game, instituting a pitch clock, banning sticky substances, universal designated hitter, bigger bases, banning defensive shifts, and additional playoff teams expanding from five to six teams in each league. All the moves have attracted more fans to tune in and watch baseball, as the 2023 season has seen a 42% growth. Manfred also got the World Baseball Classic back up and running before the 2023 season. The Championship between Teams USA and Team Japan drew a viewership of 5.2 million Americans, and the tournament received $100 million in benefits. The only thing Manfred has done wrong in his current tenure is the punishment of the Houston Astros cheating scandal in 2017 which he said recently that he regrets how he handled that situation. Manfred had to endure the Covid situation in 2020 and got a season in that year and a lockout before the 2022 season, but he could still get a season underway. Assuming Manfred is voted to another term, he will be commissioner of Major League Baseball until 2030.
World Series Champions during Manfred’s Tenure
2015 – Kansas City Royals
2016 – Chicago Cubs
2017 – Houston Astros
2018 – Boston Red Sox
2019 – Washington Nationals
2020 – Los Angeles Dodgers
2021 – Atlanta Braves
2022 – Houston Astros
