MLB owners on Thursday unanimously approved a five-year contract for Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred. The deal will cover the ’15-19 seasons, and arrives three months after Manfred won the election to succeed Bud Selig in January. Financial terms were not disclosed, but sources suggested the deal for Manfred will not initially match the estimated $30M per year Selig earned in the latter stages of his 22-year tenure. Selig praised team owners for approving the contract “quickly and quietly." The move represents a marked reversal from the extended rancor in the summer that preceded Manfred’s election (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). On Long Island, Erik Boland noted Manfred's contract extension was the "most significant order of business to take place during the owners' meetings" in K.C. Manfred said, "I think commissioner Selig may be the best one-on-one politician that I've ever seen. And I don't use the word politician in any derogatory way. I mean it in the most complimentary way.'' Yankees President Randy Levine called Selig "the greatest commissioner'' of them all. Levine: "Rob Manfred's going to be a great commissioner, but I think to hold this group together for 23 years, it's almost irreplaceable" (NEWSDAY, 11/21).
MAN OF THE HOUR: The AP's Dave Skretta noted one of Manfred's mandates will be to "attract young fans back to baseball, and many believe that will involve speeding up the game." The average time of a nine-inning game "increased from 2 hours, 33 minutes, in 1981 to a record 3:02 this year, with postseason games stretching nearly 4 hours." Selig appointed a committee chaired by Braves President John Schuerholz to "discuss ways to improve the pace of play." Among the ideas "experimented during the Arizona Fall League were pitch clocks and requiring hitters to remain in the batter's box between pitches." MLB "can't alter the rules for 2015 without agreement from the players' association, though it can implement changes unilaterally with one year advance notice." Selig said that MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark and other reps from the union "provided their input." Selig: "I want the committee to continue to do its work. This was very productive in terms of ideas. The experience in the Arizona Fall League made quite an impact on a lot of people." Skretta noted when changes "may be implemented at the major league level remains to be seen" (AP, 11/20).
ON THE DOCKET: The AP's Skretta noted Selig spoke at the "conclusion of two days of meetings" in K.C., where owners discussed a "variety of issues that included pace of play, instant replay and domestic violence initiatives." Owners also spent time discussing the "first season of expanded instant replay." Meanwhile, Selig "applauded" the record-breaking, 13-year, $325M deal reached by the Marlins and RF Giancarlo Stanton, calling it the "objective of everything we did" in changes to the game's economic model, which included revenue sharing and luxury taxes. Selig: "What I like is individual franchises making decisions to make themselves better. I've been reading all the clips, and I do think they're happy in South Florida, and they should be. It's a good sign, a very good sign for them, and that's how you have to look at it." Meanwhile, MLB VP/Labor Relations Dan Halem provided owners with an "update on a comprehensive domestic violence program that is being developed for players and non-players alike" (AP, 11/20).
