New CBA negotiations

[Rob]

The good changes to baseball in my lifetime:

- Drug testing

- The expansion teams

- The first wild card

- Limited replay

- The rules intended to minimize contact when breaking up double plays or sliding into home. (though admittedly, I miss those moments)

 

A ten team playoff was a lateral-move which didn't drastically increase or decrease my enjoyment of the game. It has some pluses and minuses which roughly even out.

 

Everything else has been a bad change. Advertising on uniforms, NL DH, three batter minimums, further expanding playoffs, draft pools, international spending caps, luxury taxes, revenue sharing, even the automatic walk.

 

That said, I'm not sure how I feel about banning the shift. I always loved seeing the extreme defensive alignments with five infielders or four outfielders for the last few batters of the game. Heck, just hearing the phrase "infield is in" has always put a smile on my face and my butt on the edge of my seat. On the other side of the coin, banning the shift could conceivably put some more runners on base and increase the value of some lost arts like stolen bases and make the game look a little bit more like I remember it looking in its heyday. I dunno, I could see this going either way.

 

As far as the pitch clock is concerned, it seems like another bad idea. I agree that the pace of the game needs to be sped up a bit for that stuff. But I feel like a pitch clock is drastic. The same goal could be reached by lesser means -- keeping pitchers near the rubber and batters at the plate, telling umps not to allow time calls to go on so long, etc... I'd prefer something that can be flexible rather than a rigid rule.

[cl smooth]

The automatic walk is a godsend.

[UMFan83]

Banning shifting is a solution in need of a problem.

 

How so? I’m sick of every left handed hitter being a 3 True Outcomes hitter because they can’t beat the shift.

 

People keep saying “well they should just adjust then” but i mean I think if they could they would have. Maybe when an entire generation of hitters has been developed to go the other way we can see some meaningful adjustment but even still, try going the other way on a 100mph inside fastball. Most sports have some rules about how offenses and defenses are aligned. Not sure the up roar about it.

 

I’d be ok with a shift that requires the defense to be on the IF dirt. It’s just so unnatural to have an infielder camped out in short right field and unfairly neutralizes LHH who already have a disadvantage as most of their batted balls go toward the side of the field they are running towards

Edited March 10, 2022 by UMFan83

[David]

drug testing is a very bad change

 

#bringbackroids

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I wouldn't give a horsefeathers if 7 guys stand in a small circle when dudes who pull everything come up, and neither should you.

[Andy]

The automatic walk is a godsend.

I don't mind that they did that, but I also didn't mind making pitchers throw the ball. It was fun to hear them get booed for their cowardice, have the tension build for the next batter, and always have the however-slight chance that something could go haywire on one of the pitches. But of all the desperate attempts to help pace of play, that's the only one that's actually worked, so I'm fine with it.

[Cubswin11]

Since it seems we are close to a deal. If MLB/MLBPA was smart they’d have like 20+ FA deals ready to announce NBA style right after they announce the new CBA tonight or tomorrow and back to business/positive PR.

[CubinNY]

I'm so ready to have inane arguments about baseball on this site again.

[Andy]

 

[Bertz]

Since it seems we are close to a deal. If MLB/MLBPA was smart they’d have like 20+ FA deals ready to announce NBA style right after they announce the new CBA tonight or tomorrow and back to business/positive PR.

 

There was a stray report a ~month back that this will happen, but I haven't seen it echoed. If it's true though, between this and deals where teams call players right at 7:01 (or whatever time) this weekend is gonna look like NFL free agency.

 

Btw players are either voting or about to vote, and it sounds like this is gonna happen.

[CubinNY]

Game on!?!

[David]

[Bertz]

[Andy]

If a few Mets players are mad because they think Steve Cohen will spend a lot of money and that's why they should reject the CBT numbers, they should definitely rethink that. Cohen is a MLB owner. He would not have been permitted into the club if anyone else had even the slightest doubt he likes his money more than winning.

[Gilby]

So basically Scherzer doesn't like it

[Cubswin11]

Seems like it is kinda the union execs job to always be against it for perception. So they can always say they didn’t get as good a deal, should’ve held out for more, owners screwed us, etc. let the players 2/3rds carry it.

 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Also, are the people saying that the executive board is unanimous or votes as a monolith? They could be 5-3 and only need just over half the players?

[Cubswin11]

Also, are the people saying that the executive board is unanimous or votes as a monolith? They could be 5-3 and only need just over half the players?

It sounds like they were 8-0 against. No idea if their votes can be split or it’s all or nothing with 8 for or against. But all 8 votes, however derived, seem to be against.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

[Bertz]

 

YOOOOOOOOOOO

[Cubswin11]

Go sign Correa now

[Andy]

 

This might be a bigger deal to me than the agreement itself. Thank God.

[Derwood]

So the lockout obviously sucked, but the compressed free agency/trading period is going to be bananas.

[Andy]

Runner-on-second is gone too

 

[Andy]

So the lockout obviously sucked, but the compressed free agency/trading period is going to be bananas.

Stroman already recruiting