Best of BP: What Will Rob Manfred’s Legacy Be?

Rob Manfred will not be the Main League Baseball commissioner as of 2029. That’s what we all know for positive as of this writing: the person mentioned so himself. Manfred took over for Bud Selig in January of 2015, successful the commissioner’s seat and the approval of MLB’s homeowners over Boston’s Tom Werner. He was Selig’s handpicked selection as a successor, due to a long time of the 2 working collectively in a wide range of roles, however the votes needed to be there for that to occur. They finally had been, and he’s now starting his third, and ultimate, time period. That’s the neat and tidy model of occasions.

We’ve already mentioned how a distinct commissioner wouldn’t imply a greater one, given the character of the position: the commissioner is merely there to do the bidding of the homeowners whereas ensuring they don’t get too deleteriously rowdy with their schemes. So we’re not right here to remind you of that. As a substitute, let’s concentrate on what Manfred’s legacy goes to finish up being. As Baseball Prospectus’ Editor-in-Chief, Craig Goldstein, mentioned on Twitter:

These are all sturdy contenders. As is the latest uniform fiasco, the place MLB’s official assertion may be summed up as “no, we’ve at all times been in a position to see these guys’ balls.” Now, I’m not going to share any of the photographs in query right here, however I do need to level out that my very own tweet right here preceded MLB’s response to mentioned photographs with good purpose:

I do know what I noticed, MLB. Anyway, the purpose is that Manfred is definitely going to go away a notable legacy behind. There’s an entire lot to argue about which factor will really be on the middle of that legacy, although, and the above barely scratches the floor of the choices.

***

The dishonest scandals are immense, or, no less than ought to have been. However MLB protected Jim Crane, with Manfred on the middle of that in a kind of moments the place he’s allowed to inform the homeowners they’re about to screw one thing up greater than they intend—you recognize, the true “greatest pursuits of Baseball” energy. The Astros bought to maintain their championship. The Purple Sox bought a tiny little punishment. Regardless of the claims that an entire bunch of different groups had been additionally utilizing expertise to cheat in a means they weren’t speculated to, investigations principally didn’t occur, and everybody was simply supposed to maneuver on. Essentially the most vital punishment for Astros gamers was that they could get booed for his or her half in issues, and even that course of was interrupted by some native media members who thought it was going just a bit too far.

The story is on the market, although. Evan Drellich, who broke the story for The Athletic, even bought to jot down a e book about the way it all went down. It may be minimized, however it will possibly’t be erased. Someway, although, it’d find yourself as a little bit of a footnote in Manfred’s profession contemplating every part else there’s to select from.

***

Manfred was the commissioner throughout the first lockout within the sport in over three a long time. A really clearly pointless lockout that good-looking writers with good sense may see coming from years away. No video games had been misplaced to the lockout in the long run, however it was additionally clearly a large waste of time even to a number of the sorts of journalists who normally haven’t any downside backing MLB up on their anti-labor crusades. Admittedly, although, this concern might be extra the sort of factor I’ll keep in mind than the final viewers: there’s a purpose there’s room for me on the historic labor beat, you recognize? Folks should be reminded of how the previous went down, it’s not at all times there within the current for them.

***

Then once more, Manfred and the homeowners did price everybody video games within the 2020 season by overplaying their hand in negotiations that, from the gamers’ perspective, had already concluded. So perhaps that’ll be simpler to recollect, in the identical means Bud Selig canceling the World Collection in 1994 or ending an All-Star Sport in a tie are recalled. Although… some folks do should be reminded that the cancellation of the ‘94 World Collection was a function, not a bug for Selig. So perhaps not.

***

The uniforms… it’s too early to know for positive. Will Fanatics really repair them, in order that the tops don’t seem like they had been made by somebody promoting duplicate knockoffs? And in order that netherregions are not seen to anybody who’s taking a look at them, no matter whether or not there’s picture studio lighting round? This one is TBD, too quickly to name, examine again in a couple of years.

***

Manfred may very well be remembered because the commissioner underneath which minor leaguers lastly grew to become so fed up with the working and residing situations on the farm that they efficiently organized by becoming a member of the Gamers Affiliation. Extra doubtless, although, is that he’s remembered for what bought the gamers to that time: disaffiliating dozens of minor-league groups, costing 1,000 gamers their jobs, sure, but in addition ripping skilled baseball out of 40 cities. This, too, isn’t fairly over but: Congress continues to be snooping round MLB’s antitrust exemption questioning about its necessity, and in the event that they aren’t stopped by somebody—be it Congress or the union—there will probably be future makes an attempt at disaffiliation, extra cities shedding entry to comparatively cheap skilled baseball, than there have already got been.

***

The baseballs. Those that weren’t juiced and had been undoubtedly the identical as they at all times had been, till investigation journalism proved in any other case and compelled MLB to confess that what that they had meant to say… you keep in mind all of that. It’s exhausting to not, when a number of baseballs had been as soon as once more used throughout the 2022 season after this was all speculated to be resolved. The entire state of affairs is such a basic case of Manfred, too. Nobody can be bothered if MLB modified the baseballs as a result of they felt that the sport wanted a bit extra energy in it. Different worldwide leagues have modified their baseballs and mentioned they had been doing it and why, however MLB needed to be sneaky about it and mislead everybody even when the reality was plain to see. Once they may not ignore the suspicions due to the aforementioned investigations, that’s when a number of the fact got here out. Who is aware of, perhaps the balls will probably be modified as soon as (or twice) once more earlier than Manfred hangs ‘em up, holding this story contemporary.

***

Right here’s the one which may really stick. “…how aggressively groups made last-ditch efforts to bilk the general public out of cash,” which as Goldstein notes, is just not new, however has definitely intensified underneath Manfred’s watch. Again in August, I wrote that “the stadium schemes hold getting larger,” and within the time since, the A’s have proven they may not even have wished to maneuver out of Oakland and to Las Vegas however screwed that up, too, and Jerry Reinsdorf has gone from perhaps wanting a brand new stadium in Chicago by pretending Nashville was an choice to leaking that he wants probably the most public cash any stadium has ever had. Actual threats to relocate in addition to precise relocation may do a quantity on an already decimated legacy. And growth isn’t going to occur underneath Manfred’s watch, if it occurs in any respect, so it’s not like he’d be the one to deliver baseball again to Oakland (if it even goes again there) following his permitting the A’s to go away within the first place.

Bud Selig had loads of new stadiums are available with public financing, too, however the brand new stadiums and the calls for for them are coming in each sooner and far bigger even after accounting for inflation. It’s incessant, to the purpose it’s unclear if growth is a factor that may ever really happen or if it’s only a carrot on a stick that makes some excited folks enthusiastically nod in settlement with no matter calls for are made to get the groups in want of stadiums their subsidies.

***

Take your decide. There’s no scarcity of choices. And actually, so many horrible issues have occurred underneath Manfred’s run as commissioner that it’s straightforward to overlook that there have been really some good elements. Making an attempt to make Trevor Bauer disappear ceaselessly was a uncommon second of getting at hand it to Manfred’s MLB. A few of the rule adjustments, just like the addition of the pitch clock, are genuinely nice and have returned the sport to the sort of tempo it used to take pleasure in earlier than it grew to become slower and bloated by extra than simply lengthier advert breaks. None of this by itself goes to finish up being Manfred’s legacy, however then once more, not one of the unfavourable bits may be, both. Not less than, not on their very own.

Selig tried to remake his legacy, as a result of it, too, was filled with awfulness. The canceled ‘94 World Collection, virtually forcing the gamers to strike that very same summer season, being commissioner whereas steroids had been all over the place within the sport after which pretending that he had no thought the entire time and had by no means even heard of those, what do you name them, steroids earlier than, even when Bob Nightengale requested him about it level clean in actually 1995. The collusion when he was an proprietor, the collusion when he was commissioner, the general public execution of Alex Rodriguez’s profession to try to finish his personal on what he felt was a deserved excessive word… there’s lots there to dislike that sticks with him, and it’s powerful to select simply the one factor due to it.

Manfred, too, has a melange of dangerous vibes to think about, reasonably than only one particular factor that stands proud. Which, actually, is its personal sort of legacy. It’s not a sophisticated one, it’s simply sturdy in its terribleness. There are not any actual hidden bits of greatness there that outweigh the remainder of his physique of labor. And that’s the way it’ll be for the subsequent commissioner, too, whoever that finally ends up being, in the event that they stick round for so long as Manfred has.

And hey, let’s not overlook that the 2024 by 2028 seasons will probably be performed underneath Manfred’s watch, too. There are nonetheless years left for him to do one thing even worse than every part that’s come earlier than. Perhaps there’ll even be official MLB-sanctioned betting traces on what that may very well be by that point!

Marc Normandin presently writes on baseball’s labor points and extra at marcnormandin.com, which you’ll learn without spending a dime however help by his Patreon. His baseball writing has appeared at SB Nation, Defector, International Sport Issues, Deadspin, Sports activities Illustrated, ESPN, Sports activities on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, FAIR, and TalkPoverty, and you may learn his takes on retro video video games at Retro XP.