The owners of the thirty MLB teams have elected Rob Manfred to be the tenth commissioner of baseball when current head Bud Selig steps down in January, Jon Heyman of CBS reports. Manfred is currently MLB’s COO, and was seen as predominantly the most likely candidate to succeed in today’s vote, which was held in Baltimore. Manfred was often said to be Selig’s personal choice to succeed him. The main challenger to Manfred’s ascension was Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, who managed to stave off the new commissioner-elect for two rounds of voting. The final ballot was a unanimous selection.
Selig’s tenure has been marked by growth despite tension between the player’s union and the commissioner’s office. The former Brewers owner took over as acting commissioner for Fay Vincent in 1992, and has stayed in power ever since. Perhaps the most notable event to happen under Selig’s tenure was the player’s strike in 1994, and history will most likely remember him for that despite the massive parity that Selig has brought to the sport of late. Selig’s tenure also saw the beginning of the crusade on PED use.
Indeed, it is perhaps through PED’s that many fans may know Manfred best. Manfred was the one who negotiated with Biogenesis owner Tony Bosch in terms of his testimony in baseball’s hearings on the scandal. This rubbed many the wrong way, as Bosch is almost universally viewed as a slimy crook, and many say that the league should not have got in bed with him. Manfred also notoriously allowed a hefty portion of the Dodgers’ TV deal to be exempt from profit sharing. Manfred has also been liaison to the MLBPA, and will undoubtedly use those years of familiarity to his advantage when the time comes soon to renew the collective bargaining agreement between the union and league.
Manfred’s election was opposed in the first two rounds of voting by the Nationals, Athletics, White Sox, Red Sox, Reds, Angels, Diamondbacks and Blue Jays. In the third round when one of those owners relented, the other teams extended an olive branch and made the decision unanimous. However, it should still be noted that those teams are not happy with Manfred’s election.
It will be interesting to see where Manfred takes the league when he assumes power in January. There are a number of pressing issues that need attention, such as reform to the international signing system, the draft rules that caused this year’s Brady Aiken debacle, fine-tuning the new catcher and instant replay rules, and addressing growing concern over the pace of play in the game.
Manfred’s term as commissioner will begin this January.
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