Baseball Commissioner Eyes Moving World Baseball Classic to Mid-Season

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says the World Baseball Classic could shift from spring training to mid-season in future years. The tournament just broke attendance and viewership records, with the next edition scheduled for 2029 or 2030.

MIAMI (AP) — Following record-breaking attendance figures and television ratings, the World Baseball Classic is scheduled to return in either 2029 or 2030, with the possibility of relocating the tournament to mid-season rather than its traditional spring training timeframe.

The WBC has taken place during spring training since its debut in 2006. Current tournament regulations include pitch count limitations, and teams maintain the authority to impose stricter restrictions or prevent their players from participating entirely.

“Obviously we have commitments to Fox in terms of the All-Star Game in the middle of the season through ’28,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press. “As the game continues to evolve, we have talked about midseason tournaments in general. And certainly if we decided to get serious about this, about a midseason tournament, this would be an ideal opportunity.”

The 2024 WBC attracted 1,619,839 spectators across 47 contests, representing a 24% jump from the previous record of 1,306,414 set in 2023. The inaugural 2006 tournament brought in 740,451 fans for 39 games.

Back in 2006, the highest-rated television broadcast featured Mexico defeating the United States in the second round, drawing 2.46 million viewers on ESPN.

This year’s most-watched contest through Sunday was Team USA’s semifinal triumph over the Dominican Republic, which attracted 7.37 million viewers on FS1 and Fox Deportes. This surpassed the previous peak of 5.2 million for the 2023 championship game on FS1, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports streaming platforms. Final viewership numbers for Tuesday’s championship have not been released.

“There’s no resemblance to where we started in 2006,” Manfred said. “This one, I feel like it went to a different level. We set an attendance record after the early play. By the time we got into the semis and the final it was all gravy.”

The dramatic moment when Shohei Ohtani struck out his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout to secure the final out of the 2023 WBC became a defining moment. A sport that originated in America during the 1800s required more than two centuries to develop a genuinely worldwide competition.

“The WBC is kind of a springboard for the rest of our international efforts,” Manfred said. “It gives you kind of a cornerstone to work from in terms of making long-term business relationships with sponsors, broadcasters and whatnot.”

Supporters from baseball-passionate nations including Japan, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have followed the competition closely since it began. Japan leads with three championships, while the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have each captured one title.

Team USA also holds just one championship from 2017, despite fielding an All-Star lineup this year featuring captain Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Paul Skenes. Judge received his captaincy appointment last April, and his early participation commitment encouraged other elite players to join the roster.

Judge described the WBC audiences as “bigger and better than the World Series.” Italy’s surprising semifinal appearance this year generated baseball enthusiasm in a nation dominated by soccer, despite games beginning in the early morning hours.

“I just told the guys that they are the champions of this tournament,” Italy manager Francisco Cervelli said after the Azzurri were eliminated by Venezuela, the eventual champion. “They revolutionized Italy. They put another sport on the map.”

A mid-season tournament format would likely result in fewer superstars declining participation or being restricted by their clubs. Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal agreed with Detroit to make just one tournament appearance, leading to the United States starting 24-year-old rookie Nolan McLean in the championship game. Team USA fell 3-2 to Venezuela, which mounted a ninth-inning comeback against Garrett Whitlock to claim its first title.

Relief pitcher Mason Miller was kept out of action by manager Mark DeRosa, who had promised the San Diego Padres that Miller would only pitch in save situations.

“Certainly if it was moved to the middle of the season, I don’t think you would have any nos for competing in it,” DeRosa said.

Major League Baseball and the players’ union are currently discussing big league participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The six-team baseball competition, featuring the United States, Dominican Republic and Venezuela among others, would occur during an extended All-Star break. This Olympic event could influence the timing decision for the seventh WBC.

MLB and the players’ association hold equal ownership stakes representing the largest shares in the WBC, with Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korea Baseball Organization and the World Baseball Softball Confederation maintaining smaller portions.

“The issue for us is whether we do it in ’29 or in ’30, three years or four years? I’m getting a lot of email from people today saying don’t make us wait four more years for this,” Manfred said. “I do think a three- or four-year cycle is probably about right for the event. The timing is going to turn on what we do with respect to related sorts of international efforts. I remain optimistic about the Olympics and obviously if we play in the Olympics it’s a short time from July of ’28 ’till the spring of 29 and that’s something we’ll have to take into account. I’m not saying it’s outcome determinative, but it’s something we’ll have to think about.”