MLB and its union have reportedly agreed to a series of off-field rule changes for 2019, as well as on-field rule changes for 2020. But the most significant change could be what comes next.
Among the changes, the Home Run Derby would feature a $1 million prize to boost drama — a clear ploy to entice superstar players to enter the event. By Dave Sheinin Dave Sheinin National baseball writer Email Bio Follow March 14 at 10:48 AM Major League Baseball and its union have agreed to a series of off-field rule changes for 2019, as well as on-field rule changes for 2020, the two sides announced in a joint news release Thursday.
Also new for 2019: an All-Star Game “Election Day” and a $1 million bonus for the winner of the Home Run Derby, enhancements intended to add juice to baseball’s midsummer showcase. And intended to improve pace of play: Reducing commercial breaks to two minutes and mound visits from six to five per game.
Still, in terms of impact, the bigger development is the sides agreeing to address the economic issues — from free agency to the luxury tax to the manipulation of players’ service time — that have frustrated the union and its members since the current, five-year collective bargaining agreement went into effect after the 2016 season and have threatened to undo the sport’s 25-year run of labor peace.
The 2019 changes should create a whirlwind July for baseball, with some high-profile enhancements to the All-Star Game showcase and a greater impetus for teams to make trades by the end of the month. In the past, contending teams could still make “waiver” trades — in which a player must first pass through revocable waivers — by Aug. 31, a method the Houston Astros used, most notably, in 2017 to acquire ace pitcher Justin Verlander.
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