MLB Commissioner: Who's Next, And Why It's A Thankless Job
We examine Rob Manfred's decision to step down as commissioner in 2029, look back at his tenure, and speculate on who could succeed him.
IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.
Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . When he steps down in 2029, Rob Manfred will have served as MLB commissioner for 14 years. Of the 10 MLB commissioners since the role was created in 1920, the longest-tenured commissioner was the first, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who presided over the role from 1920 until his death in 1944. The shortest-tenured MLB commissioner was Bart Giamatti, who took over the role in 1989 after being the president of Yale University and subsequently the president of the National League. He died of a heart attack just 154 days after becoming commissioner and was the second commissioner to die in office, after Landis.
Leading Off
After Rob Manfred, Would Anyone Really Want To Be MLB Commissioner?
By Mark Kolier
Do you ever watch MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in a press conference or making a statement? He’s an avowed lover of baseball and has made it much of his life’s work. If you watch him making his remarks, he never seems happy, and there’s a sharp edge to everything he says. It’s as if Manfred is aware that everyone dislikes him. It doesn’t seem like being baseball commissioner is a “fun” job.
Manfred may be posturing for an extension to his current contract, which ends Jan. 25, 2029. But he also might be serious in his intention to resign at the end of the 10-year contract. He said that much recently, noting that as he approaches 70 years old, it’s time to move on.
"You can only have so much fun in one lifetime," Manfred said. "I have been open with [the owners] about the fact that this is going to be my last term."
The current term includes a four-year extension that stretches his contract from January 2025 to January 2029. Manfred followed highly unpopular (and Hall of Fame member) Bud Selig’s rocky tenure, which lasted from 1998-2015. Like Selig, Manfred also draws the ire of many baseball fans. But more on that later.
From Reuters:
Manfred said he expects owners to use a familiar system to find a replacement.
"I'm sure the selection process will look like it looked the last time," Manfred said. "There will be a committee of owners that will be put together and they'll identify candidates via an interview process, and a slate of people will be put forward."
What Rob Manfred Has Done As Commissioner
If nothing else, he’s been an active commissioner. Over the past nine seasons, Manfred has overseen:
Astro-gate and granting immunity to Astros players in exchange for their testimony. Then-Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and then-manager A.J. Hinch (now in Detroit) were suspended for the 2020 season.
A COVID-19 season that reduced the 2020 season to 60 games with no fans in the stands until the World Series was played – at a neutral site.
A lockout of more than three months following the 2021 season that ended up not canceling any MLB games.
Adding a sixth playoff team to both leagues.
The implementation of the universal DH for both leagues in 2022 after it was used on trial during the COVID-19 season of 2020.
The implementation of new rules – baseball’s first actual pitch clock, banning of the infield shift, implementing an extra-innings automatic runner on second base, and the limitation on pickoff throws.
The strange debacle that is the Oakland A’s impending move to Las Vegas.
Renegotiation of the largest television, media, and licensing revenue baseball has ever seen.
Expansion of MLB games being played in London, Mexico and this year Korea.
The reduction of Minor League teams affiliated with Major League teams.
Not all baseball commissioners have had as active a nine-year period. Here’s something for the haters. Rob Manfred, after it’s all over, will end up being inducted into Cooperstown. Forget about Bud Selig for a second and remember that Judge Kenesaw “Mountain” Landis is also a member of the Hall of Fame. The bar for commissioners being enshrined in Cooperstown has not exactly been high.
There is constant talk that baseball, and in particular Major League Baseball, has lost its mojo. And its fan base. Football is the No. 1 American sport. Basketball and soccer are far more popular worldwide. If you listen to some people, America’s Pastime is past its time. Except that isn’t all true. It’s folly to think baseball was always going to remain “supreme” in the United States. Under Commissioner Manfred’s term, team valuations are at an all-time high. This makes, or should make, his employers, the owners of the 30 MLB teams, very happy.
What About The Fans?
For fans of MLB before 1990, the game on the field looks much like the game they grew up watching, yet it also seems so different. Players are now paid what once would have been unthinkable amounts of money, and fans pay eye-popping sums to attend games. Watching your team play is more of a challenge than ever – knowing which media outlet might be carrying a game requires research. Not all changes are positive ones.
Leading a major sport as commissioner is almost a thankless job. Nobody has ever said nice things about what they see as an owner’s lackey. It would be an entirely thankless job were it not for the money. The exact terms of Manfred’s contract are undisclosed, but it’s thought to be around $25 million annually. For the record, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly makes $64 million annually. Maybe he really did have a better year than Manfred. The NHL and NBA commissioners must get by with something around $10 million annually.
There have been rumors that renowned baseball executive Theo Epstein – now back with the Red Sox as an advisor – would make a great commissioner. I don’t see that happening unless Theo wants the money and is willing to risk what is his own Hall of Fame legacy. Having led both the Red Sox and Cubs to the promised land after years in the desert makes you the good guy. Why would you want to spoil that?
The commissioner has the power to punish teams and owners. Mind you, the other owners must vote against their fellow owners, which they are not always willing to do. Having the person with the power to call out the teams’ owners be paid by those same owners is like putting the monkey in charge of the bananas. Even if the commissioner wants to call out one of the owners, there needs to be an understanding that the other owners will support it, or why even bother? This is why the collusion that exists amongst the owners will never be brought to bear by the commissioner.
The job of the commissioner includes glad-handling, obfuscating, cajoling, creativity, diplomacy, passion, and having the ability to be the front man for everything that is wrong with baseball. Who would want to be that despised person?
For $25 million annually, I guess I could put up with it for a few years. Heck, I’d even do it for $20 million.
About the Author: Mark Kolier along with his son Gordon co-hosts a baseball podcast called ‘Almost Cooperstown’. He also has written baseball-related articles that can be accessed on Medium.com and now Substack.com.