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Leagues and Governing Bodies

MLB's Manfred Admits Dialogue With Players About Rule Changes Has Been "Difficult"

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Friday said it has been "difficult to get a good dialogue going" with the MLBPA about potential rule changes designed to increase the pace of play, but he said he has a "great relationship" with union Exec Dir Tony Clark. Appearing on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike," Manfred said the players so far "have been negative to our suggestions, which I'm actually fine with." He said, "We're looking for a dialogue where they say, ‘We're not prepared to do that, but we have another idea that might move the game forward.’ I think the key thing to keep in mind is we're interested in this topic based on fan research. This is a fan-responsive initiative that we think is really important for the future of the game.” Manfred on Tuesday threatened to unilaterally install rule changes in '18 despite potential union objections due to a clause in the new CBA. Manfred was described as having a confrontational tone during his press conference Tuesday, but he said that he talked to Clark "first thing Wednesday morning ... about how we're going to move this forward, what might work from a process perspective, in terms of getting people in a room, trying to make them understand better why we see the problem the way they do." Manfred admitted MLB might not have done a "good enough job convincing" the players that there is dead time in the game and it is "important, in terms of capturing the next generation of fans, that we deal with that dead-time-in-action issue" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 2/24).

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