In the final week of the regular season, as teams jockeyed for postseason invitations and playoff seedings, Rob Manfred headed to Mexico.
The commissioner is looking abroad to find baseball’s next great growth markets. In 2016, Major League Baseball will open an office in Mexico City and play World Baseball Classic games in Mexicali, with exhibition games in Culiacan next year or soon after. If all goes well, MLB could consider an expansion team for Mexico.
On Monday, Manfred was back in his office in New York, awaiting the first postseason in his tenure as commissioner. In an interview with Los Angeles Times national baseball reporter Bill Shaikin, Manfred discussed a variety of topics, including the postseason format, expansion, minority hiring, the Dodgers’ television blackout, and why the league considers fantasy sports integral to building its fan base.