MLB owners approve extension for Rob Manfred

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

MLB owners approve five-year extension for commissioner Rob Manfred

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 7/26/23

Rob Manfred can enjoy a bit more job security as the owners of the 30 Major League Baseball teams approved a contract extension that will keep him as commissioner through January 2029.

In a press release from MLB, Manfred was lauded for initiatives that have sped up the action in games, bringing the sport to non-traditional destinations and international markets, and greater league-wide support for youth baseball. Manfred himself spoke of a rosier outlook for the game:

“It is an honor to serve the best game in the world and to continue the pursuit of strengthening our sport on and off the field,” Manfred said in the release. “This season, our players are displaying the most vibrant version of our game, and sports fans are responding in a manner that is great for Major League Baseball’s future. Together, all of us in the game will work toward presenting our sport at its finest and broadening its reach and impact for our loyal fans.”

Manfred took the top job in 2015 after Bud Selig's retirement. Prior to that, he served as executive vice president, then chief operating officer for MLB. Compared to his predecessor, who was a former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, Manfred was better known as the legal hawk in the league office and led contentious negotiations with the players' union over previous collective bargaining agreements.

That combativeness hasn't endeared him very much with baseball fans, either. His approach to the stadium quagmires in Tampa Bay and Oakland has earned him more disdain than other cities, though it seems that fans across North America cite different reasons to hate him.

Manfred's handling of the Houston Astros cheating scandal has left a sour taste in the mouths of rivals, as well as his own. He led a significant consolidation of the minor leagues that led to over 40 teams losing their affiliations with MLB clubs, with a few of those contractions still being litigated in some form as of April 2023.

Manfred's commissionership has been defined by his push to speed up the pace of play in games. This year has brought the biggest change of all, the pitch clock, which has helped shave down the length of games by almost 30 minutes.

A persistent challenge, however, has been how MLB contends with revamped television climate since the league signed its last broadcast rights deals in 2021.

In addition to mostly diminished viewership on a national level, the Diamond Sports/Bally Sports saga has saddled nearly half of MLB teams, with the league now handling the production of games for the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres. How Manfred navigates those issues may define this next stage of his tenure.

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