This could be the world’s earliest retirement announcement.
Rob Manfred will step down as MLB commissioner when his contract expires in January 2029, he told reporters Thursday, nearly five years to the date. By then he will be 70 years old, he noted, and he will be ready to sit back and relax.
“There’s only so much fun in life,” Manfred said at a news conference Thursday. “I’ve been open with them (the owners) about the fact that this will be my last term.”
Rob Manfred says this five-year term will be his last as MLB commissioner, ending in early 2029 pic.twitter.com/CP81yK5iVl
-SNY (@SNYtv) February 15, 2024
The league’s owners learned of his potential decision in July 2023, when they voted to extend his contract through January 2029. While the owners may not be excited about the upcoming leadership change, fans are already expressing their excitement. Manfred’s time as commissioner has not been without controversy, as the reactions of fans to the news attest.
After the Astros’ World Series cheating scandal became public in late 2019, Manfred somehow disappointed almost all sides with his handling of the controversy. Team leaders were suspended, but no players were disciplined or fined. The team was not stripped of the 2017 title, as it did not want to set any precedent.
“The idea of putting an asterisk or asking for a piece of metal on the back seems like a pointless act,” Manfred told ESPN’s Karl Ravech. Referring to the Commissioner’s Trophy as a “piece of metal” generated all the reaction one would expect from players and fans alike.
Manfred’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which erupted just months after the Astros cheating scandal came to light, resulted in additional backlash. Faced with an unprecedented situation, it took months for the league and the players’ union to agree on how the season should unfold. Even then, the isolation policy was not strictly enforced and at one point 20% of MLB players were infected.
And don’t forget the relocation of the 2021 All-Star Game, in which the game was pulled from Atlanta in protest of a restrictive voting rights law in Georgia. The All-Star Game will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta in 2025.
