"The league's first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, had unchecked power and authority, and once his tenure was up in 1944-he only left the job because he died in office-the owners set about making sure they never had anyone like that in the role ever again. Even Bud Selig, an owner himself when he took the mantle of commissioner, had to have the votes of his fellows in order to ram through something he felt was important."
"The commish is also supposed to let the owners know that they're in danger of being out over their skis when necessary. Say, when the Astros were found to have been stealing signs and relaying signals in 2017, and Rob Manfred made a point of putting out a gag order on any other owners whining about the relatively lax punishment-he knew no good would come of keeping that story alive any longer than it was,"
MLB's commissioner performs two central roles: carry out owners' directives and prevent owners from overreaching. The role was reshaped after Kenesaw Mountain Landis's unchecked authority, prompting owners to limit future commissioners' power. Even owner-commissioners like Bud Selig needed peer votes to implement significant actions. The commissioner retains some authority to counsel owners and manage perception during crises. The Astros sign-stealing case showed the commissioner's role in controlling league narratives and enforcing discipline to preserve collective cooperation. Effective commissioners balance acting for owners with intervening when owners risk damaging the game's integrity.
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