(Tampa) Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday that he will step down at the end of his current term, in January 2029.
Speaking to the media at the opening of training camps, Manfred said he will be 70 years old and will have served 14 years when his current term ends on January 25, 2029.
“You can only have so much fun,” Manfred said.
Aged 65, Manfred succeeded Bud Selig in January 2015 with a five-year mandate. Team owners voted in November 2018 to offer a new five-year term, until the end of the 2024 season. Last July, they approved this additional term.
Manfred defeated Boston Red Sox CEO Tom Werner by ballot.
The candidates to replace him have not yet announced their intentions publicly. Dan Halem has been his principal deputy since 2017.
“I’m sure the selection process is going to be similar to last time,” Manfred said. A committee of owners will identify candidates to interview and (then narrow down the list), with a view to making a choice. »
Efforts to build new stadiums for the A’s and Rays represent two important projects initiated under his leadership.
The Athletics hope to build a new stadium in Las Vegas and open it in 2028. The Rays want a new home next to Tropicana Field.
“I hope that in both cases I will still be the commissioner,” Manfred said.
The A’s lease at the Oakland Coliseum ends in 2024. For next year, it is not known whether the club will play its home games in Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco or Las Vegas.
Manfred does not expect an expansion that would increase the number of clubs from 30 to 32 before the end of 2028, however.
“I don’t think it’s realistic,” the commissioner said. However, I would like the process to be started before I leave. »
Manfred plans to be involved in awarding the 2027 and 2028 All-Star Games.
He mentioned in passing that the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays haven’t hosted the event in a long time (1990 and 1991, respectively).
The annual classic will be presented in Arlington this year, Atlanta next year and Philadelphia in 2026.