MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reveals he will RETIRE in 2029 after 14 years on the job, as polarizing 65-year-old calls time on tenure leading baseball
- Rob Manfred succeeded Bud Selig as MLB commissioner in 2015
- He drew criticism for his handling of the Houston Astros' cheating scandal
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday that he will retire in 2029 when his current term ends.
Manfred, 65, has held the role since 2015, when he took over for previous commissioner Bud Selig.
It's not yet clear who will succeed Manfred.
'You can only have so much fun in one lifetime,' Manfred said.
Owners voted in November 2018 to offer Manfred a new deal through the 2024 season, then voted last July to approve his latest term.
![Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred will step down on Jan. 25, 2029](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/01/81339259-0-image-a-10_1708048774340.jpg)
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred will step down on Jan. 25, 2029
![Manfred implemented a pitch clock in Major League Baseball to reduce the length of games](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/02/81339335-0-image-a-13_1708049048593.jpg)
Manfred implemented a pitch clock in Major League Baseball to reduce the length of games
'I have been open with them about the fact that this is going to be my last term,' Manfred said. 'I said it to them before the election in July and I´m absolutely committed to that.'
Manfred will be 70 years old and will have been commissioner for 14 years when his term ends on Jan. 25, 2029.
Manfred has been a strong advocate for shortening the time of games, and his steps to make that happen included a pitch clock.
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.
Additionally, he 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 also 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.
Candidates to succeed Manfred have not publicly emerged. Dan Halem, who joined MLB in 2007 as general counsel for labor, has been deputy commissioner since 2017. He will be 58 in May.
![Dan Halem (left) is MLB's deputy commissioner, a role which he has held since 2017](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/02/81339289-0-image-a-14_1708049233702.jpg)
Dan Halem (left) is MLB's deputy commissioner, a role which he has held since 2017
'I´m sure the selection process is going to look like it looked the last time,' Manfred said. 'There'll be a committee of owners that'll be put together and they´ll identify candidates, an interview process and ultimately someone or a slate of people will be put forward.'
Among the major unresolved issues of Manfred's tenure are new ballparks for the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. Oakland received approval from MLB in November to move to Las Vegas, where the A's hope to build a new ballpark that will open in 2028.
Tampa Bay hopes to construct a new ballpark adjacent to the current Tropicana Field
'I´m hope that I´m here to go to opening day as commissioner for both Tampa Bay and Las Vegas,' Manfred said.
He does not expect expansion to 32 teams will be completed by 2028.
'I don´t think realistically those clubs would be playing before I´m finished,' Manfred said. 'I would like to have the process in place and operating before I go.'