MLB during a meeting with the MLBPA on Monday "proposed a series of rules changes" to be implemented beginning with this upcoming season, most of which "related to on-field action," according to Ken Rosenthal of THE ATHLETIC. The next step is for the union to "respond," but if recent history is "any indication, representatives from the players and owners will struggle to even speak the same language." Based upon the issues plaguing the current free-agent market, the players "likely are not going to be in much of a mood to talk, much less compromise." The last thing MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wants to do is "further inflame tensions with the union, so he again will be inclined to reach [an] agreement with the players rather than force them to accept unwanted changes." But this is a "test for the players" and for MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark. For the union to spend the next three years "balking at every MLB initiative concerning on-field matters would be selfish, short-sighted and damaging" to the sport. Clark needs to "serve as a calming force, build a consensus for positive change and demonstrate greater leadership than before" (THEATHLETIC.com, 1/17). NBCSPORTS.com's Craig Calcaterra wrote Clark is "not an intermediary between the owners and the players." He is an "advocate for them," and it is "not his job to 'compromise.'" The owners "cannot expect the players ... to pretend" the last two offseasons have gone well. Calcaterra: "Should the players have negotiated a better deal on money stuff two years ago? Absolutely. But then again maybe the owners should've asked for these rules changes they want now back then too" (NBCSPORTS.com, 1/17).
MOVING THE NEEDLE: SI.com's Tom Verducci wrote no proposed rules change would "improve baseball's pace of action issue more than a pitch clock." Pace of action -- not length of games -- is the "biggest issue facing baseball as an entertainment product." Strikeouts have "increased every season" from '08-18, adding to the "burgeoning time when a ball is not put in play" (SI.com, 1/17).
