Sources: MLB and players discussing rule changes that could alter game

[Dback Jon]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/25935056/mlb-players-discussing-rule-changes-alter-game


Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are discussing potentially drastic changes to the on-field game and economic landscape of the sport in the middle of a collective bargaining agreement, a significant departure from the past that speaks to the chasm between the parties but represents a thaw in the chill that has divided the sides, sources familiar with the talks told ESPN.

Dueling proposals from MLB on Jan. 14 and the union on Friday covered a wide range of topics, according to sources. Among them include:

• A three-batter minimum for pitchers
  
  
• A universal designated hitter
  
  
• A single trade deadline before the All-Star break
  
  
• A 20-second pitch clock
  
  
• The expansion of rosters to 26 men, with a 12-pitcher maximum
  
  
• Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams
  
  
• A study to lower the mound
  
  
• A rule that would allow two-sport amateurs to sign major league contracts
  

 

[Dback Jon]

A three-batter minimum for pitchers


Love this idea. Will speed up game. Only caveat would be if the pitchers ENDS an inning, they could be replaced at the start of the next inning (with that pitcher having to face minimum three batters).

 

[Dback Jon]

A universal designated hitter

Not fond of the DH, but both leagues should be the same.

 

[Dback Jon]

A single trade deadline before the All-Star break

I have been advocating this for awhile - the late trade deadline is a joke

 

[Dback Jon]

A 20-second pitch clock

Not sure it would make much difference

 

[Dback Jon]

The expansion of rosters to 26 men, with a 12-pitcher maximum

As long as September call-ups are limited, fine.

 

[Dback Jon]

Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams

Bad idea. Will prevent Houston like rebuilds

 

[Dback Jon]

A study to lower the mound

Study yes, not sure how I feel about this.

 

[Dback Jon]

A universal designated hitter

Not fond of the DH, but both leagues should be the same.

One of the reasons the Union wants this is that it opens the market for long-term contracts in the NL. An NL team is less likely to want a player (think Harper/Machado) that at the end of a 10-year deal will be in mid-30's, when their defensive skills have declined. If they can slide them to DH, then there is still value in the later years.

 

[BC867]

A universal designated hitter

Not fond of the DH, but both leagues should be the same.

My sentiment exactly! It means the NL teams would not be at a disadvantage of having to choose a bench player to start when playing in an AL park.

DH would be a full-time position in the batting order. And it should help starting pitchers stay in the game longer, as in the old days.

A reliever having to pitch to three batters within an inning will be interesting in terms of lefty-righty strategy.

Advantage = batter flexibility. They could be pinch-hit for anytime the manager wants.

 

[GatorAZ]

Good stuff

 

[AZ Native]

A three-batter minimum for pitchers


Love this idea. Will speed up game. Only caveat would be if the pitchers ENDS an inning, they could be replaced at the start of the next inning (with that pitcher having to face minimum three batters).

Agreed 100%,

 

[AZ Native]

A universal designated hitter

Not fond of the DH, but both leagues should be the same.

I don't want it but I too believe both leagues should be the same.

 

[AZ Native]

A 20-second pitch clock

Not sure it would make much difference

Meh

 

[AZ Native]

A study to lower the mound

Study yes, not sure how I feel about this.

No

 

[AZ Native]

Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams

Bad idea. Will prevent Houston like rebuilds

Agreed

 

[Matt L]

Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams

Bad idea. Will prevent Houston like rebuilds

I think it would give these teams an incentive to spend money to put a competitive team out there every year.

 

[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[AZCB34]

A 20-second pitch clock

Not sure it would make much difference

As a stand alone it may not matter but pairing it with the 3 batter rule would make a difference.

 

[Phrazbit]

Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams

Bad idea. Will prevent Houston like rebuilds

Agreed. I'm sure this is a player proposal, and while I oft side with the players, not in this case.

I think it would give these teams an incentive to spend money to put a competitive team out there every year.

The economics of baseball are grotesquely out of whack. The Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox of the league not only have payrolls that are (literally) 3 to 4 times what many of their competitors front, but they also rake in far more profit than those competitors... so much so that many small market teams actually LOSE money in the seasons when they try to compete.

This also carries over to the draft. Unlike the NFL or NBA, baseball players are not given exact figures for their draft slot. They have "pools" from which they are given amounts to offer to drafted players, but these amounts are not capped and teams can exceed them at the risk of losing future picks. As a result of these flimsy financial rules, agents and players know that big market clubs later in the draft can actually pay MORE than small market clubs at the top of the draft. Financially strapped clubs have actually not drafted top prospects in the past because of the difficulty in signing them. Granted it used to be worse (until a 5 or 6 years ago there was no limit on contracts vs draft slot) and you'd see guys who were obvious top picks plummet until a big market team was up in the draft. If this rule were put into effect you'd see teams like the Rays, A's and Padre not only losing their best players to free agency and losing on the field, but they'd also lose one of their only paths to competition.

Long story short. Baseball's financial system is already a rigged system for the big clubs, rewarding consistently good teams and punishing losing ones in the draft would only make it worse.

I can just see... the Yankees going 102-60 with a 350 million dollar payroll, picking ahead of the A's, after they went 78-84 on a 80 million dollar budget... and ended the season 10 million in the red.

 

[Ronin]

MLB putting new rules in place to curtail sign stealing, source says

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26034573/mlb-putting-new-rules-place-curtail-sign-stealing