Bud Selig Names Rob Manfred MLB COO As Part Of Transition Plan

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig today named Rob Manfred the league's COO, promoting him from his prior title of Exec VP/Economics & League Affairs. The appointment is in keeping with Selig's pledge last week to implement a transition plan within the league's central management as part of his impending retirement. Manfred is the first person to hold MLB's COO title since the resignation of Bob DuPuy three years ago. Manfred has been MLB's point person on a bevy of prominent league issues, including three sets of CBA negotiations with the MLBPA; the Dodgers, Cubs, and Rangers bankruptcies; the MASN dispute involving the Nationals and Orioles; and the creation of the league's debt service rule.

Manfred now has full control over the day-to-day operations of the league's HQs in N.Y., while Selig will focus more on big-picture issues. "The reorganization of our management team will facilitate an orderly transition and will position Major League Baseball's operations for sustained prosperity well into the future," Selig said.