MLB’s Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to Marvin Kalb tonight as part of the Kalb Report in Washington, DC and I was lucky enough to be in attendance. Manfred spoke frankly about a number of issues, but perhaps most interesting were his thoughts on the expansion of major league baseball.
When asked the question, the commissioner rejected the idea of an MLB team in Cuba, deflecting that issue down the road until the political and economic situation in the country has evolved. He also rejected a team in Japan, saying that though the potential for a hugely successful team exists, the logistics make it near impossible to pull off. However, Manfred spoke at length about the potential advantages of an MLB team in Mexico, praising the country for its baseball heritage and its potential to be a huge broadcast market while also galvanizing the growing hispanic fanbase in the United States. Manfred seemed genuinely excited about the possibility.
The Commissioner also made a point of saying that any expansion of baseball would require two new teams and was quick to assert that the most logical second location would be in Canada. Could we see the Expos return to Montreal along with a new franchise in Mexico City? Given how thorough the Commissioner’s thoughts on the subject were, I’d say expansion is definitely part of his agenda.
Manfred also spoke about Pete Rose, reiterating his promise to hand down a decision on his reinstatement by the end of the year, though not tipping his hand at all about which way he’s leaning.
Perhaps the most awkward portion of the evening was when Kalb pressed Manfred on DraftKings and fantasy baseball in general, asking baseball’s 10th commissioner how fantasy sports don’t constitute betting on baseball. Manfred launched into a long and drawn out depiction of fantasy baseball as a skill based competition that rewards better players for winning and doesn’t advocate for any particular outcome of a game. Frankly, it all came off as extremely rehearsed, unconvincing, and self-serving, as baseball stands to make boatloads of money off increased interest in the sport thanks to daily fantasy sites like DraftKings. I think its clear that such things are betting on sports and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them the subject of a plethora of new laws and regulations in the coming years.
Performance Enhancing Drugs were also a popular point of discussion. Manfred repeatedly called them the toughest issue of his tenure in charge of the game. That said, he made it clear that he doesn’t advocate for rewriting or altering baseball’s hallowed record books in any way, fearing that that could lead to a very slippery slope. According to the Commissioner of Baseball, the true home run king is Barry Bonds.
Manfred said some strange things about gentrification being a net positive for baseball, though it seemed he perhaps didn’t understand the question or the concept. He mentioned some politically correct things about the Nationals and Orioles MASN dispute, the size of the playoffs, and defended the instant replay system. He said that he favors additional measures to speed up the game such as a 20 second pitch clock, but that implementation must be slow and responsive to the concerns of old timers and traditionalists.
Overall, he seems like a good guy who certainly has a law background. He was honest but careful and I think his commissionership will be marked by incremental change rather than major advancements, which might be a good thing.
-Max Frankel
