Rob Manfred Pinpoints When He’ll Retire As MLB Commissioner

Baseball’s most powerful person has a date in mind to step away.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s tenure appears to have an end date.

Manfred told reporters Thursday that he plans to retire after the 2028 MLB season, citing what he has already conveyed to baseball’s owners.

“You can only have so much fun in one lifetime. I have been open with them (the owners) about the fact that this is going to be my last term,” Manfred said.

Manfred, 65, has served as baseball’s commissioner since January 2015. He is the 10th person to hold the title since its institution in 1920 in the wake of the Black Sox scandal.

His tenure has been controversial. Highlights include the World Baseball Classic’s explosive growth and the successful installation of a new rules package in 2023, but Manfred won widespread criticism for his handling of labor relations and the Oakland Athletics’ relocation to Las Vegas.

Before taking over as commissioner, Manfred served as chief operating officer of MLB from 2013 to ’15. His association with baseball dates to 1987, when he began advising the game’s owners on matters related to employment law.