Chris Marinak, a top Major League Baseball executive considered a potential commissioner candidate, is leaving the league office in the new year. The 45-year-old joined MLB in 2008 and served as chief operations and strategy officer. He played a key role in innovations like instant replay and the pitch clock.
Chris Marinak spent nearly two decades at Major League Baseball, influencing nearly every aspect of the sport. He joined the league office in 2008 and rose to the position of chief operations and strategy officer. Marinak was instrumental in introducing instant replay and other on-field changes, including the processes that led to the pitch clock, which has significantly benefited the game.
In recent years, Marinak oversaw digital products such as MLB.com, the MLB and MiLB Apps, MLB.TV, and Statcast. He also managed ticketing operations, including the MLB Ballpark App, and handled the creation of the league's schedule along with major events like the World Series and the World Baseball Classic. The 2023 World Baseball Classic achieved records for attendance and social media engagement, a success following a post-pandemic period when the event faced challenges.
Marinak had been considering other opportunities throughout the year, as he had been involved in most areas of the sport. To further his growth, potentially toward becoming commissioner, industry sources suggested gaining experience outside baseball. There has been dialogue between Marinak and the PGA Tour, whose CEO, Brian Rolapp, followed a similar path from the National Football League.
MLB faces a challenging period ahead with an impending labor dispute, an area Marinak knows well from his time in labor relations, where he helped negotiate two bargaining agreements before shifting roles in 2017. Commissioner Rob Manfred, planning to retire in January 2029, has developed a close relationship with deputy commissioner Noah Garden, who oversees business, media, TV, and licensing. Manfred emphasized the need for an insider successor, stating, “The variable that you ought to look at is inside versus outside. If you got the best executive in the world, dropped him in that office Day 1 with no indoctrination, he’d fail miserably, is my view.”
Marinak and MLB declined comment on his departure, with a new position expected to be announced as soon as January.
