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NEW YORK — The Midsummer Classic is coming to the Lone Star State.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday that the Texas Rangers will host the 2024 All-Star Game, the second time the franchise will host the festivities. The team previously held the All-Star Game in 1995, but the 2024 event will be the first at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020.
“The Rangers stepped up under difficult circumstances and Globe Life Field has been a great host for the 2020 postseason, including the World Series,” Manfred said in a statement. “We are excited to once again introduce baseball’s newest stadium to the global stage next summer.”
While it has not been announced who will host the game in 2025, the Mariners will host in 2023 and the Phillies in 2026.
At a press conference at MLB offices Thursday, Manfred also addressed a letter sent by baseball legend Pete Rose, who pleaded for a chance to be considered for the Hall of Fame and again apologized for his gambling scandal in the 1980s. As Manfred has stated in the past, he believes that baseball bettors fall on the permanently ineligible list.
“When I addressed this issue the last time he filed for reinstatement, I made it clear that I don’t think the function of that baseball list is the same as the criteria for induction into the Hall of Fame,” Manfred said. “That remains my position. I think that’s a conversation that really belongs on the Hall of Fame committee. I’m on that committee, and it’s just not appropriate for me to be in front of that conversation.”
In addition, Manfred said that FTKS – a cryptocurrency firm that collapsed in recent weeks – will not return as a sponsor in 2023. FTKS previously appeared on referee uniforms during the 2022 season.
“The development of FTKS was a little unsettling,” Manfred said. “We have been very cautious in moving forward in this space.” We’ve been really religious about staying away from the coins themselves, as opposed to more corporate-based sponsorships. We think that was wise, especially given the way things turned out. We will proceed with caution going forward.”
With the unionization of the minor leagues, the league and the MLBPA are currently in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. Manfred said the league and the MLBPA have not had discussions beyond their goals for the negotiations.
“The natural time frame would be to try to do it during the offseason,” Manfred said. “We always negotiate better in the offseason, so the natural expectation would be to try to get something done before opening day.”
The league also announced the creation of MLB University, a career development program designed to prepare a variety of middle managers for advancement to senior baseball operations or on-field roles. The program is led by Senior Vice President of Field Operations Michael Hill.
In addition, Manfred said the league is committed to requiring teams to interview minority candidates during the recruiting process. The Selig Rule, created in 1999, requires teams to interview minorities when filling vacancies for managers, general managers, assistant general managers, scouting directors and minor league directors.
“We don’t see it as an either/or between an interview requirement or an educational endeavor,” Manfred said. “We think you need to do both to make sure you have the best possible candidates available for interviews.” As for MLB University, I think it’s just a broader, more in-depth curriculum than anything we’ve done in the past. “
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