Report: MLB pushed for major rule change authority in labor negotiations

Major League Baseball and the MLBPA are already dealing with a lot of distance on contentious issues, but the league reportedly brought an intriguing new one to the table during talks this week.

MLB proposed a shorter period to implement on-field rules changes, according to Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Under the previous labor agreement, the league had to wait at least one year to make a rule change after formally proposing one. Commissioner Rob Manfred apparently wants to be able to make those changes even more quickly. One specific change that was reportedly mentioned during talks was the implementation of a pitch clock.

The proposal does not appear likely to be implemented, however. Players were reportedly not enthusiastic about the proposal, though it is not clear if it has been fully shelved or not.

While it did not qualify as a rule change, Manfred and MLB did implement stricter protocols for checking for pine tar or illegal foreign substances midseason in 2021. By the end of the season the checks were running smoothly, though there was some initial drama. Players probably don’t want any repeats of that.

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