Anyone who has ever scrolled social media during a nationally televised game knows just how much Major League Baseball fans despise longtime commissioner Rob Manfred.
The question is whether the owners feel the same way, especially with the possibility of an impending work stoppage. There is no sign that the owners and Players Association are anywhere close to finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement before December; the salary cap remains the biggest sticking point, and the league also proposed restrictions on free-agent contracts.
Manfred has previously said he plans to step down when his contract expires in 2029, though there could be a way for the league to find a new commissioner before then.
Would Major League Baseball owners realistically come together to fire Rob Manfred?
Let’s head back to September 1992 for a moment. At the time, 18 of the league’s 28 owners voted no confidence in then-commissioner Fay Vincent; nine owners supported him, and Reds ownership abstained. Although he intended to fight the decision, he resigned less than a week later.
Vincent’s three years as commissioner were immensely controversial, with the 1990 lockout and failing TV ratings contributing to the owners’ lack of faith. Less than two years after Vincent’s resignation, another work stoppage — this time, a players’ strike in the summer of 1994 — wound up costing the league hundreds of games and the 1994 postseason.
As of Aug. 27, 2026, there is no indication MLB owners have considered taking a similar strategy with Manfred. The league’s rocketing profits and increased global attention could certainly help his standing with owners.
Fans and social media users might despise Manfred, but there is no arguing he continues to make the league a significant amount of money. Look no further than the most recent television deal, which will reportedly net Major League Baseball roughly $800 million each of the next three years — assuming a 2026 season happens, of course.
MLB owners are united behind Rob Manfred, but will they remain so?
Players have publicly reiterated they will not accept a salary cap, and Bryce Harper infamously allegedly cursed at Manfred in the Phillies’ clubhouse last summer. A lockout feels inevitable, and it comes at a time when MLB has arguably surpassed both the NBA and NHL in popularity and relevance.
And to Manfred’s credit, he’s been flexible in changing rules and working to modernize baseball in ways beyond the universal designated hitter or ghost runner. The sport has embraced individualism and bat flips in a way that never would have seemed possible under Bud Selig. Granted, some of those moves have been disastrous — look no further than the Players’ Weekend jerseys — but the Manfred era hasn’t been a total disaster.
But all of the positives in the world mean nothing if the negatives are so severe. The 2021-22 lockout was already a major black mark against Manfred, and his handling of the 2020 COVID season has drawn mixed reviews in retrospect. If the owners don't emerge from this lockout victorious — and we mean a salary cap and increased franchise valuations — that could mean trouble.
For now, it sounds like the owners are all in on Manfred, and they’ll ride out the storm together. But if we hit March 1 and there’s no resolution in sight, don’t be surprised if that’s when the issues truly start.
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