Rob Manfred interested in changing WBC schedule

Fresh off the most successful World Baseball Classic ever, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is interested in fixing something that isn’t broken.

Manfred joined The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday morning to discuss the start of the 2026 regular season. And during the interview, Patrick asked about the success of the WBC, questioning whether it’s an event that can be played every two years.

“We’re gonna have a meeting on the WBC which we always do after it is completed. I think the event was so successful this time that we need to talk about frequency, regularity of schedule,” Manfred said. “It’s one thing to not to do it every year, our problem because of COVID, labor negotiations, whatever, you can’t even say it’s every four years. It hasn’t been. Given how popular it is, we need to get into a regular rotation.”

The World Baseball Classic launched in 2006 on a three-year rotation before altering its schedule to every four years. But after 2017, there was a six-year gap because of delays stemming from COVID. And when the tournament returned in 2023, it came back with a vengeance, culminated by Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to win the championship, proving these games mean more than an exhibition.

This year, the 2026 WBC continued to grow, setting viewership records and leaving fans clamoring for more. The success now bodes the question of whether there is an appetite for increasing the frequency of the tournament.

Manfred cited the importance of making the WBC part of a regular rotation for the fans, and for their broadcast partners, believing the event is set to become a big part of future media rights negotiations. He’s right, it’s hard to sell future WBCs to networks if you don’t know when they’re going to be played. And because of the success of the 2026 WBC, especially from a ratings standpoint, there will likely be more bidders interested in future tournaments. But that doesn’t mean baseball should consider doing anything drastic with the WBC schedule going forward.

Recently, Rob Manfred also spoke about the possibility of moving the WBC from March to a mid-season tournament, which seems like a surefire way to lose player interest, with many of them understandably valuing a two-week break in July over competing in a global tournament. Even the minor change of making it every two years will potentially lessen the urgency of stars to compete when they know the next one is just around the corner.

The World Baseball Classic needs a more defined rotation after previously running on three, four and six-year cycles. But the tournament’s recent success should prove the schedule doesn’t need to be overhauled.