Rule Changes Are Coming
Rule Changes Are Coming
Most of these are really horsefeathering stupid, but guessing the players/union jumped at accepting anything that added another major league job on every team.
The two sides have made significant progress toward an agreement on a number of rules changes, proceeding with the understanding they would discuss broader economic concepts sometime after Opening Day, major-league sources tell The Athletic.......
Before advancing to the larger discussion, officials from the players’ union and baseball first must finalize a smaller agreement that would include a number of provisions both sides consider to be “win-win.” The deal likely would be based upon baseball’s most recent proposal to the union, which was first reported by ESPN. Included in that proposal:
A three-batter minimum for pitchers, starting in 2020.
An expansion to a 26-man roster with a maximum of 13 pitchers, also starting in ‘20.
A 28-man roster in September with a 14-pitcher maximum.
A reduction in mound visits from six to five in 2019 and five to four in 2020.
Shorter innings breaks.
In its proposal, baseball agreed to abandon its quest for a pitch clock until at least the next round of collective-bargaining negotiations, which currently would take place prior to the 2022 season. The players might not have approved any deal that included a clock, sources say, but commissioner Rob Manfred maintained the right to unilaterally implement one for the 2019 season.