MLB Union reports that several pitchers find the 2-second pitch clock cut to be too early.
Tony Clark, the head of the players’ association, says Major League Baseball’s decision to cut two seconds off the pitch clock when there are runners on base is too much, too soon.
When there are men on base, the clock shortens to 18 seconds from 20 seconds, and when there are none, it remains at 15 seconds.
Clark remarked on Saturday, “That’s a conversation that should have warranted a much longer dialogue than what we had.” “Those concerns were expressed by us and the players as well, but the pitch clock change was still implemented.”
The average game duration was reduced by 24 minutes to 2 hours, 40 minutes by MLB’s new rules package, which included larger bases and a pitch clock. This was the fastest a game has been played since 1984. The sport attracted over 70 million spectators to ballparks for the first time since 2017 when the clock was implemented despite the opposition of player representatives on the competition committee.
“By adding a clock, we just had the biggest adjustment this league has ever seen in terms of game length and how the game was affected,” Clark stated. “Why are we adjusting again, and what are the ramifications going to be, rather than giving us another year to adjust and adapt to it?”
The biggest issue that worries Clark is that pitchers are getting less recovery time in between throws, especially in this situation where pitch velocity and maximum effort are crucial.
“You’re more prone to injury when fatigue occurs,” Clark stated. “The number of injuries we’re witnessing raises concerns about whether it’s in everyone’s best interests to shorten recovery times,” the statement reads.
Former MVP Cody Bellinger, two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, six-time All-Star J.D. Martinez, and four-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman are among the prominent free agents still available.
“Many players across the spectrum can help teams finish as the last team if they want to improve,” Clark stated.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated earlier this month that the league would prefer a deadline-driven free-agent signing season that ended in December. The MLB rejected a plan in 2019. The union rejected it.
Clark, who was a free agent from 1995 to 2009, likes the regulations’ flexibility because there are no time constraints on reaching deals.
“It is highly likely that a deadline will cause more harm to the participants in those discussions than goodwill,” Clark stated.
The Oakland Athletics are getting ready to relocate to Las Vegas, but they still don’t know where they’ll play after the 2024 season.
Although nothing is guaranteed, the A’s have met with Oakland municipal officials to discuss renewing the club’s lease past 2024. It is anticipated that a new ballpark in Las Vegas won’t be completed until 2028.
Remaining in the Coliseum or traveling to another location, such as Sacramento or Salt Lake location, were the two options.
Clark remarked, “I’ve been pretty consistent in that it needed to happen yesterday.” “The longer this argument goes on, the more destructive it will ultimately be to the players on those clubs, the fans in that market, and possibly other markets.
“Decisions must be made as fast as possible, regardless of where they are—in Sacramento, Salt Lake City, or another location.
The possibility of competing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles has many MLB players thrilled, according to Clark, but the “devil is in the proverbial details” when it comes to making it happen.
Numerous celebrities, such as Bryce Harper, have stated that they would like to perform in Los Angeles.
According to Clark, “there’s a lot of dialogue there.” “We have not formally received anything.” We have spoken with a few people. However, the players that we have spoken with are interested by the concept, at least as of right now.
