"Can’t get here soon enough" - MLB fans rejoice as Commissioner Rob Manfred announces he will be stepping down in 2029
Rob Manfred has been the Commissioner of Major League Baseball since the 2015 season. He took over from Bud Selig after the owners voted him into office, beating Red Sox chairman Tom Werner.
However, in 2029, Manfred will be stepping down from the position, per MLB insider Jon Morosi. The longtime MLB Commissioner will retire when his contract expires in January 2029.
Manfred has been the Commissioner for three five-year terms. The owners gave him his third term in July 2023. He told them it would be his last term before making it public.
Fans have criticized many of Manfred's decisions, most notably, the lack of punishment for the Houston Astros players during their 2017 sign-stealing scandal.
MLB fans have circled the date on their calendars and cannot wait for Rob Manfred to be out of office. They would like to see him gone way before 2029.
"Can't get here soon enough," one fan posted.
"This would of beenebetter news if it said at the end of the 2024 season," another fan posted.
Rob Manfred's legacy will be tarnished by scandals and the lockout
There is no denying that the majority of baseball fans were not pleased with how Rob Manfred handled the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. During the 2017 season, Houston players used electronic means to steal opposing catchers' signs and signal them to their hitters.
What made matters worse was that Houston won the World Series that season. None of the players were formally punished. Manfred decided to punish manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, suspending them for a year.
To this day, fans do not understand Manfred's ruling on the incident which has led fans to boo players like Jose Altuve and former slugger Carlos Correa.
Another thing that fans were not happy about was MLB's lockout during the 2022 season. The league and Major League Baseball Players Association could not reach a collective bargaining agreement.
The lockout was short and players returned to action on March 10. While the strike was short, it was still the first lockout the league had seen since the 1994-95 strike.