For years Bud Selig’s presumed heir as commissioner was Rob Manfred. He handled CBA negotiations several times. Selig made him Chief Operating Officer last year. He was made A-Rod’s executioner. Seemed he was hand-picked.
But then we entered a somewhat extended period in which others were rumored to be of interest and some owners -- particularly Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox -- did not seem all that enamored of Bud picking his successor, more or less. Because, after all, the commissioner works for the owners.
Now, however, it seems like that uncertain period is over:Sources: Rob Manfred, Tim Brosnan and Bob Bowman have all formally interviewed for the MLB commissioner’s job. Manfred heavily favored.
— Brian Costa (@BrianCostaWSJ) July 22, 2014
Maybe it was due diligence (i.e. you gotta talk to multiple candidates) maybe it was optics (i.e. the owners didn’t want to appear to roll over for Selig’s choice) or maybe Manfred really has all of the support he needs and has had it for some time. But it sure sounds like he’s the next man for the job.