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"You can only have so much fun in one
lifetime," Manfred said. "I have been open with (the owners)
about the fact that this is going to be my last term."
Manfred succeeded Bud Selig as commissioner in January 2015. His
latest four-year extension was approved by ownership last July.
Manfred said he expects owners to use a familiar system to find
a replacement.
"I'm sure the selection process will look like it looked the
last time," Manfred said. "There will be a committee of owners
that will be put together and they'll identify candidates via an
interview process, and a slate of people will be put forward."
Manfred referenced that he would be 70 when his current term
expires.
Manfred has been a strong advocate for shortening the time of
games, and his steps to make that happen included a pitch clock.
He also added a sixth playoff team to both leagues, something
that drew mixed reviews. But this past season, the sixth-seeded
Arizona Diamondbacks were the National League's representative
in the World Series before losing to the Texas Rangers.
He oversaw the lockout of more than three months following the
2021 season with an agreement with the players finally coming
together in the second week of March 2022.
When COVID-19 led to the delay of the 2020 season, Manfred and
the owners had acrimonious negotiations with the players and the
commissioner eventually imposed a 60-game season.
Also, Manfred was sharply criticized for granting immunity to
players in exchange for testimony in the Houston Astros'
cheating scandal from the 2017 season. Then-Astros general
manager Jeff Luhnow and then-manager A.J. Hinch were both
suspended for the 2020 season.
--Field Level Media
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