Manfred says he’ll retire as MLB commish in ’29

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday he plans to step down from the job upon the expiration of his contract in January 2029.

Manfred, 65, received a five-year extension approved unanimously by owners last July. The 2024 season will mark his 10th year on the job.

“You can only have so much fun in one lifetime,” Manfred said to reporters at Grapefruit League media day in Tampa, Florida. “I have been open with [owners] about the fact that this is going to be my last term.”

Manfred, a lawyer who has worked with MLB since 1987 — first as outside counsel, then as a chief negotiator for labor matters — took over from Bud Selig, who spent 18 years as commissioner.

In Manfred’s tenure, the game has undergone vast changes. The successful implementation of a pitch clock last year coincided with a nearly 10% increase in attendance last year, and in 2022, Manfred oversaw playoff expansion to 12 teams.

His tenure will in part be defined by his handling of the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal, in which he gave players blanket immunity in exchange for their testimony. “Maybe not my best decision ever,” he told Time.

Manfred also oversaw the lockout of players in 2021-22 that pushed the game to the precipice of a significant work stoppage. The league and the MLB Players Association eventually struck a deal on a five-year collective-bargaining agreement that will expire after the 2026 season.

Before Manfred leaves the job, he said Thursday, he hopes to have a process “in place” for the league to expand to 32 teams.