We already know that Major League Baseball will look very different in 2020, but another temporary rule change could really alter things.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the league and the MLBPA have already agreed to change extra innings rules for the 2020 season, and may even agree to allow games to end in ties.
For the 2020 season, MLB will adopt minor league rules where each team will start with a runner on second base in each half inning starting with the 10th. In addition, the two sides will consider the possibility of ties, though it’s not clear under what circumstances that would take place.
The players’ union is also interested in allowing players who have been removed from a game to re-enter during extra innings, though the league has not yet agreed to this.
For now, the rule changes are only for the 2020 season, though it’s not hard to envision the league pursuing them permanently if it ends up liking what it sees. It already appears likely that the universal DH will be a permanent thing going forward, so it would be wrong to discount the possibility of these rule changes sticking as well.
