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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has made several changes to the sport, and he’s looking at 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 has not expanded since 1997.
“It would be good for us. Basically, 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)
“Number two, it does a ton for us from a format perspective. You’d adjust, you’d do it along geographic lines, which would alleviate — could alleviate — a ton of the travel burden that’s on the players. Remember, we ask our players [to play] 162 times in 186 days… You can eliminate a lot of that travel and make it less burdensome, which would be a big thing in terms of player health and safety.”
Manfred also hinted at potentially going with an NBA or NHL format and having Eastern and Western conferences.
“If you adjust geographically, you’re going to be more like other sports where you play up East in the World Series, and up West in the World Series, and that 10:00 game on the West Coast, which is sometimes a problem for us, becomes a prime-time game on the West Coast for the two teams playing. So there’s a lot of upside to that.”
Commissioner of Major League Baseball Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks during the 2024 Grapefruit League Spring Training Media Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday, February 15, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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Manfred said that if MLB were to go to 32 teams, the NFL model of eight divisions with four teams each seems like the most likely outcome. But he “would try to keep two-team cities (in) separate” divisions, meaning the New York Yankees and Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels would still not be division rivals.
The commissioner also said that schedule changes have been in the works, including “split seasons” and “in-season tournaments.”
“We understand very well that 162 [games] is a long haul. I think the difficulty with doing those kinds of in-season events is that you almost inevitably start talking about fewer games in the regular season,” Manfred said.
Baseball purists haven’t loved the changes Manfred made, but they’ve brought people to the ballpark as attendance has increased in each of the last three seasons — it should also be noted that two minor league ballparks were used full-time this year for the Tampa Bay Rays and Athletics. Attendance had not increased for three consecutive seasons since doing so every year from 2004 to 2007.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. watches during 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 automatic balls and strikes system. Each team is given two challenges each to start a game, and if the challenge is successful, the team keeps the challenge to use later in the game. Challenges may only be made by the pitcher, catcher or batter immediately.
Manfred’s focus on pace of play has also shortened nine-inning games from an average of three hours and 10 minutes to 2:36 in 2024 and 2:38 this past season. The Athletics are also moving to Las Vegas in 2028, marking the first time an organization has relocated since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals prior to the 2005 season.
