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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has made many changes to the sport, and he’s considering a few more before calling it a career in three years.
Manfred, 67, plans to retire when his contract expires in January 2029, but before he does he wants to add two more expansion teams. MLB hasn’t grown since 1997.
“That would be good for us. Basically, in a lot of cities that have Major League Baseball, when people want your product, you have to find a way to sell it to them, it’s kind of basic,” Manfred told New York’s WFAN earlier this week.
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Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announces that the Chicago Cubs will host the 2027 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field. (David Banks/Imagn Images)
“Secondly, it gives us a lot from a format standpoint. You would realign yourself, you would do it along geographic lines, which would alleviate – could alleviate – a ton of the travel burden on players. Remember, we’re asking our players. [to play] 162 times in 186 days… You can eliminate a lot of that travel and make it less painful, which would be a good thing in terms of player health and safety. »
Manfred also hinted at the possibility of going with an NBA or NHL style format and having Eastern and Western conferences.
“If you realign geographically, you would be more like other sports, where you play east in the World Series and west in the World Series, and that 10 o’clock game on the West Coast that is sometimes a problem for us becomes a prime-time game on the West Coast for both teams that are playing. So there’s a lot of upside to that.”
Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks during the 2024 Grapefruit League Spring Training Media Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. (Photos by Mike Carlson/MLB via Getty Images)
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Manfred said that if MLB were to expand to 32 teams, the NFL model of eight divisions with four teams each appears to be the most likely outcome. However, it would “try to keep the two-team cities (in) separate divisions”, meaning the New York Yankees and Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels would still not be division rivals.
The commissioner also said changes to the schedule were in the works, including “split seasons” and “in-season tournaments.”
“We understand that 162 [games] is a long pull. I think the difficulty with hosting these kinds of events during the season is that you almost inevitably start talking about fewer games in the regular season,” Manfred said.
Baseball purists didn’t like Manfred’s changes, but they brought people to the stadium as attendance increased in each of the last three seasons — it’s also worth noting that two minor league stadiums were used full-time this year for the Rays and the Tampa Bay Athletics. Attendance has not increased for three consecutive seasons since increasing every year from 2004 to 2007.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. attends the MLB Draft presented by Nike at Lumen Field on Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
One change coming in 2026 is the automated ball and strike system. Each team receives two challenges each to start a game, and if the challenge succeeds, the team keeps the challenge to use later in the game. Challenges must be made immediately by the pitcher, catcher or batter.
Manfred’s emphasis on pace of play has also reduced nine-inning games from an average of three hours and 10 minutes to 2:36 in 2024 and 2:38 last season. The Athletics will also move to Las Vegas in 2028, marking the first time an organization has moved since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals before the 2005 season.
