Manfred set to step down as commissioner in 2029

*Photo from KSL Sports*

   There eventually will be a leadership change in Major League Baseball. Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday said he will step down as commissioner when his contract expires before the 2029 season.

   Manfred said during a press conference that "You can only have so much fun in one lifetime. I have been open with them (the owners) about the fact that this is going to be my last term."

   After Bud Selig stepped down as commissioner in 2015, Manfred was appointed to the role and has been given 3 terms of 5 years, with owners giving him his 3rd in July of 2023 that runs through January 2029. He has worked with MLB since 1987, serving as outside counsel before becoming a chief negotiator and deputy commissioner before becoming commissioner.

   Manfred has overseen several important changes to the game in his tenure as commissioner. The playoffs expanded to 12 teams, the DH has become universal, the schedule has been balanced, a ghost runner on second base in extra innings has been implemented, as has a pitch clock, a ban on sticky substances and overshifting defensively to go with bigger bases to incentivize stealing bases.

   Controversy has also fallen on Manfred and the league during his tenure. Most notably, the sign stealing scandal of the 2017 Houston Astros in which only Carlos Beltran, AJ Hinch, Jeff Luhnow and Alex Cora received punishment, with no other players or executives being penalized as he gave players who testified in the investigation blanket immunity. He also has received criticism in the past year for his handling of the Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas.

   Manfred also was a key figure in the publicly tense negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA over playing conditions for the 2020 season as well as the negotiations over a new CBA in the offseason before the 2022 season that resulted in a 3 month lockout and a delayed start to the season.

   In the press conference he gave, Manfred said he plans to have a plan in place for expansion to 32 teams by the time he steps down as commissioner, though it didn't necessarily have to include certain cities being awarded a team by the time he steps down.

   Manfred's deputy commissioner right now is Dan Halem, who would be the presumed favorite to become the commissioner when Manfred steps down. Deputy commissioner of business and media Noah Garden could also be in play, while Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner could also be a candidate. Werner was the runner up to Manfred in the voting process to approve him as commissioner in 2014.